Phillips Charlie Image 5 Aston Villa 1937

Description

Victoria, Monmouthshire born forward Cuthbert “Charlie” Phillips was capped twice at schoolboy level for Wales and began his football career with Ebbw Vale in 1925 before turning professional with Second Division Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1929, making his Football League debut against Oldham Athletic in March 1930. By the start of the new season he was a regular in the Wolves first eleven, scoring 18 League goals in 1931-32 to help fire Wolves to the Second Division Championship and promotion to the top flight. He then scored in the 4-2 victory over Everton in the last match of the following season, a game Wolves had to win to remain in the First Division.

Meantime he had been awarded his first cap for Wales scoring the opening goal in a 3-2 win against Ireland at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham on 22nd April 1931 and he went on to win 13 caps for his country, scoring 5 times, through to 1937.

After 65 goals in 202 appearances for Wolves, Phillips moved on to Aston Villa for a fee of £9,000 in January 1936, where he experienced relegation the same season followed by another Second Division title in 1938, but during his time at Villa Park he was a fringe player, scoring 5 goals in 22 appearances before he crossed the city to join Birmingham City in March 1938, where he again couldn’t save them from relegation from the First Division in 1938-39. In the 1939 close season he dropped into non-league football with Chelmsford City after 10 goals in 25 appearances for The Blues, and he retired from football during the Second World War.