AFC Fylde are delighted to announce the appointment of Kevin Phillips as the club’s new Head Coach.

The former England and Sunderland striker will be taking charge of his first game this Saturday as we take on Rochdale in the FA Cup, where he will be joined by his assistant Wess Brown.

Starting his career in the ranks at Southampton, Phillips worked his way up from non-league before his major breakthrough at Watford and then Sunderland.

He became a fans’ favorite at the Stadium of Light in particular, scoring 113 goals, going on to represent England during his time on Wearside after being named in the Euro 2000 squad.

He’s a player who has spent large parts of his career at the top end of the football pyramid, with the likes of Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion, before joining Crystal Palace where he scored the winning penalty at Wembley to secure them promotion to the Premier League in 2012/13

After retiring from football in 2014, Phillips began his coaching career with Leicester City as assistant first team coach and coaching roles at Derby County and Stoke City followed before the former European Golden Shoe winner took over as Manager of ambitious South Shields in January 2022. After winning the Northern Premier League with the Mariners in his second season, he moved on to National League in 2023 where he managed Hartlepool.

Joining when they were close to the bottom of the league in January, he had a successful stint at the Pools, achieving 1.63 points per game whilst comfortably retaining their National League status with a 12^th-placed finish. Despite this, he was released at the end of the season and has been seeking the right opportunity since. 

Speaking on the appointment, club Chairman David Haythornthwaite said: “Firstly, I would like to thank Nathan Delfouneso and Chris Neal for stepping in and taking charge for the last five games, during which time they have not only steadied the ship but put a smile back on people’s faces. 

“The search for the new manager has taken maybe a bit longer than people expected but this is reflective of the interest we had received in the position. Kevin was presented to us at an early stage and was invited with several others to Mill Farm for a lengthy interview and after that, was the clear favourite. 

“However, it was important that we spoke to all concerned to make sure we had the very best candidate for the job. Once this was decided, late Friday afternoon, the weekend was spent finalising the contracts for both Kevin and his assistant, Wess and I am delighted everything is now concluded and Kevin and Wess are in the building. 

“I am sure, like me, our fans will be excited with this appointment and that they will get behind Kevin and team from the very start which begins this Saturday with our exciting FA Cup tie against Rochdale.”

A full interview with Kevin will be available soon on the club website.