Gordon Phillips (footballer)

Gordon David Phillips (17 November 1945 – 3 September 2018) was an English professional football goalkeeper and coach who made over 200 appearances in the Football League for Brentford.

Gordon Phillips
Personal information
Full name Gordon David Phillips[1]
Date of birth (1945-11-17)17 November 1945
Place of birth Uxbridge, England
Date of death 3 September 2018(2018-09-03) (aged 72)[2]
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1963 Hayes 9 (0)
1963–1973 Brentford 208 (0)
1969 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 0 (0)
1973–1978 Hillingdon Borough
Teams managed
1990 Staines Town (joint-caretaker manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Hayes

After a short spell as a youth with Crystal Palace,[3] Phillips began his senior career at Athenian League club Hayes and made his debut at the age of 15 in a victorious Middlesex Charity Cup semi-final match in April 1962.[4] He made two further appearances towards the end of the 1961–62 season, but was robbed of the chance to play in the 1962 Middlesex Charity Cup final because of a broken thumb.[4] He made seven appearances during the 1962–63 season, before departing the club at the end of the campaign.[4] While a youth, Phillips was invited to a trial for the England Youth team, but failed to win a call-up to a squad.[4]

Brentford

Phillips joined Third Division club Brentford during the 1963 off-season.[4] He had a difficult start to life at Griffin Park, conceding 13 goals in his first two youth and reserve matches.[3] An injury to Gerry Cakebread and poor performances by his deputy Fred Ryecraft saw manager Frank Blunstone hand Phillips his first team debut in an FA Cup first round match versus Margate at Griffin Park on 16 November 1963.[5][6] Phillips conceded two goals in the 2–2 draw and it was his only appearance of the 1963–64 season.[7] Phillips was thereafter confined to the reserve team during the majority of his first three seasons with Brentford.[6]

Phillips finally made his first team breakthrough in the 1966–67 season,[8] after the club had been relegated to the Fourth Division.[9] He was a virtual ever-present during the season and made 42 appearances.[7] He further improved his appearance tally in the 1967–68 season, making 48 appearances.[7] Faced with improved competition from Chic Brodie,[8] Phillips' appearance-count dropped during the 1968–69 and 1969–70 seasons.[7] He was an ever-present during the 1971–72 season,[7] which saw Brentford promoted back to the Third Division with a third-place finish.[9] 1972–73 proved to be Phillips' last with the Bees and he departed the club at the end of the season,[8] after relegation back to the Fourth Division was confirmed.[9] Phillips made 227 appearances during his 10 years at Griffin Park and was awarded a testimonial versus an ex-Brentford XI in October 1973,[8] which earned him £825.[10] He was inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in May 2017.[11]

Non-league football

After his release from Brentford, Phillips dropped into non-league football and reunited with a number of former Brentford teammates at Southern League Premier Division club Hillingdon Borough during the 1973 off-season.[4] A bottom-place finish saw Hillingdon relegated in Phillips' first season with the club, but promotion straight back to the Premier Division was achieved in the 1974–75 season.[8] He departed the Leas Stadium in 1978 and received a testimonial.[10] Phillips was offered to join a club in Pretoria, South Africa, but turned the offer down.[3]

Coaching and managerial career

Phillips became goalkeeping coach at Isthmian League Premier Division club Staines Town in 1989.[4] He also had a spell as caretaker manager of the club in 1990, alongside Chris Davey and former Brentford teammate Jackie Graham.[12] Phillips departed the club in 1990 to serve as goalkeeping coach at Brentford under managers Steve Perryman and then Phil Holder.[13] He left in 1992 after the appointment of David Webb as manager.[4]

Personal life

After leaving professional football, Phillips worked for British Airways for over 30 years.[3] He was married to Jacqui and his two sons Kelly and Trent both became footballers for Staines Town, with Trent playing as a goalkeeper.[6] He was a close friend of former Brentford teammate Alan Hawley and both served as the other's best man.[3] He died of cancer on 3 September 2018.[2]

Honours

Brentford

Individual

  • Brentford Hall of Fame[11]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoals Apps Goals Apps GoalsAppsGoals
Hayes 1961–62[4] Athenian League 2 0 0 0 — 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 3 0
1962–63[4] 7 0 0 0 — 0 0 7 0
Total 9 0 0 0 — 1 0 10 0
Brentford 1963–64[7] Third Division 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
1964–65[7] 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
1965–66[7] 11 0 1 0 0 0 — 12 0
1966–67[7] Fourth Division 38 0 4 0 0 0 — 42 0
1967–68[7] 45 0 2 0 1 0 — 48 0
1968–69[7] 23 0 0 0 2 0 — 25 0
1970–71[7] 29 0 4 0 0 0 — 33 0
1971–72[7] 46 0 2 0 1 0 — 49 0
1972–73[7] Third Division 15 0 1 0 0 0 — 16 0
Total 208 0 15 0 4 0 — 227 0
Queens Park Rangers (loan) 1968–69[14] First Division 0 0 — — — 0 0
Career total 2170150 4 0 1 02370
  1. Appearance in Middlesex Senior Charity Cup
gollark: How strange of them. I wonder why that happened.
gollark: That is all.
gollark: National security reasons.
gollark: Why not?
gollark: https://xkcd.com/1962Which generation are you?

References
  1. "Gordon Phillips". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  2. "Gordon Phillips RIP". Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  3. Lane, David (2005). Cult Bees & Legends: Volume Two. Hampton Hill: Legends Publishing. pp. 32–34. ASIN B00NPZL58S. ISBN 0954368282.
  4. "Hayes & Yeading United FC: The Official Website". Hyufc.com. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  5. "Brentford 1963". Margatefchistory.com. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  6. Brentford F.C. Griffin Gazette versus Plymouth Argyle. Quay Design of Poole. 17 December 1994. p. 37.
  7. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 387–392. ISBN 0951526200.
  8. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 124. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  9. Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  10. Griffin Gazette: Brentford's Official Matchday Magazine versus Crewe Alexandra. Quay Design of Poole. 6 April 1996. p. 20.
  11. FC, Brentford. "Sam Saunders and Gordon Phillips added to Brentford's Hall of Fame". Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  12. "Staines Town Info". Stainestownfootballclub.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  13. "Brentford | News | Where Are They Now? | Where Are They Now? | WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GORDON PHILLIPS – PART 1". brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  14. White 1989, p. 273.
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