At club level, he scored 73 goals in 237 appearances in the Football League playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Birmingham.
[3] He made his debut for the club on 15 March 1930 in a 1–1 home draw with Oldham Athletic, and went on to play 202 games in all competitions, scoring 65 goals.
Phillips played in Chelmsford's opening four games of the season, scoring twice, before moving onto Bath City in October 1939.
[3] He made his debut on 22 April 1931 against Ireland at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, in the British Home Championship, scoring the opening goal in a 3–2 win.
After retirement from the game Phillips kept a pub, first in the Bushbury district of Wolverhampton and later in Lichfield, Staffordshire.