Anthony "Tony" Philliskirk (born 10 February 1965 in Sunderland, County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

) is a former English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 footballer. He played as a striker for 11 different clubs between 1983 and 1998.

Playing career

Philliskirk turned professional at the age of 18, when he joined Sheffield United

Sheffield United F.C.

Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

. He made his debut for the Blades in a pre-season friendly against Mansfield Town

Mansfield Town F.C.

Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...

 at Field Mill

Field Mill

Field Mill is a multi-use stadium in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.It is currently occupied by its main tenant, Mansfield Town.The stadium has a capacity of around 10,000 when fully open, but due to the Bishop Street Stand being closed and safety restrictions, the ground currently holds less...

 on 17 August 1983. He had to wait until 18 October 1983, before making his league debut for Sheffield United against Brentford

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

 at Griffin Park

Griffin Park

Griffin Park is a football ground situated in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It has been the home ground of League One side Brentford since it was built in 1904. It is known for being the only English league football ground to have a pub on each corner, and is situated in a...

.

He scored his first goal for the club two weeks later at Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle F.C.

Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...

. He scored eight goals in his first season with Sheffield United. Most of his time at Bramall Lane

Bramall Lane

-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...

 was spent as a partner of striker Keith Edwards.

He was part of the Sheffield United side which won promotion from the Third Division

Football League Third Division

The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...

 in season 1983-84

1983-84 in English football

The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history...

. In total he made 80 league appearances (18 as a subsititute) for Sheffield United scoring 20 goals.

After five years at Bramall Lane, he had brief spells with Oldham Athletic

Oldham Athletic A.F.C.

Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...

 and Preston North End

Preston North End F.C.

Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...

 before joining Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 in the June 1989 for a fee of £50,000. He made his debut for Bolton on 19 August 1989 in a Third Division match against Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

 at Ninian Park

Ninian Park

Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...

, and he soon formed an effective striking partnership with David Reeves

Dave Reeves

David Edward "Dave" Reeves is a former professional footballer who notably for Chesterfield, Bolton Wanderers and Carlisle United. He is currently without a club after leaving his post as Assistant Manager with Gainsborough Trinity.-Playing:Reeves was drafted into the first team squad at Sheffield...

.

Philliskirk moved on to Peterborough United

Peterborough United F.C.

Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...

 in October 1992, and then had spells with Burnley

Burnley F.C.

Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...

, Cardiff City, Halifax Town

Halifax Town A.F.C.

Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...

 and Macclesfield Town

Macclesfield Town F.C.

Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...

 before hanging up his boots in 1998.

Refereeing career

He also spent a couple of years as a referee towards the end of his playing days. Philliskirk was one of 15 players who accepted a training offer in 1996 as part of a PFA

Professional Footballers' Association

The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....

 scheme to encourage more former professionals to take up the whistle. He progressed as far as the Northern Premier League

Northern Premier League

The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...

.

Coaching career

In 1998, team manager Andy Ritchie offered him the youth coaching job at Oldham Athletic.

He became assistant manager at Oldham Athletic until December 2003, when his team manager Iain Dowie

Iain Dowie

Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...

 was tempted away by Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace F.C.

Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...

. Dowie wanted to take his assistant with him, but Philliskirk turned down the offer for personal reasons.

During the 2004–05 season, Philliskirk was manager for one game but lost 2–1 to Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town F.C.

Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

. He stayed at Boundary Park, where he is now Oldham's youth coach, a role he initially filled for four years before becoming Dowie's assistant in 2002.

Personal life

His son Daniel Philliskirk is currently a striker with Oxford United

Oxford United F.C.

Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...

 on loan from Sheffield United

Sheffield United F.C.

Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

.

External links