Kevin Mark Phillips (born 25 July 1973) is an English former professional footballer who is currently the head coach of National League club AFC Fylde.

[6] He failed to make the grade at Southampton and was released by manager Chris Nicholl, and returned to Hertfordshire where he signed for non-League semi-professional side Baldock Town in the summer of 1991.

[21][22] A broken toe sustained in a League Cup tie against Chester City in mid-September kept him out for nearly four months, but his goalscoring resumed immediately upon his return, with a "screaming volley" away to Queens Park Rangers.

[24] In the run-up to the start of the 1999–2000 FA Premier League season, pundit Rodney Marsh predicted that Phillips would struggle to get more than five or six goals at the higher level.

[25] Forming a potent "little and large" strike pairing with veteran target-man Niall Quinn,[26] Phillips scored his sixth goal on 18 September – the first of a hat-trick against Derby County[27] – and was named Premier League Player of the Month for October.

[32] As the season wore on, Phillips suffered both a lack of form and disciplinary problems: he scored only once between mid-January and May, and came in for criticism from fans and local press.

[35] He relinquished his penalty-taking duties, after three consecutive spot-kicks were saved,[36] but his goal on the final day of the season, in a 1–1 draw with Derby County, was enough to ensure 17th place and Premier League survival.

[38] Amid interest from clubs including Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, Phillips "pledged his future" to Sunderland ahead of the 2002–03 season,[38] though he later confirmed he had submitted a transfer request in August.

[39] Manager Peter Reid brought in strikers Tore André Flo and Marcus Stewart, and warned Phillips he was no longer an automatic first choice.

[42] A second transfer request was rejected in January, but at the end of the season Phillips confirmed that the club's need to reduce its expenditure in light of relegation meant that he would be leaving.

[61] Phillips shared front-man duties with Juan Pablo Ángel and fellow new signing Milan Baroš, but illness and further injuries disrupted his season, in which he contributed only five goals.

[64] Phillips joined West Bromwich Albion despite strong interest from Sunderland, where his former strike partner Niall Quinn had recently become both chairman and manager.

[67][69] He missed six weeks of the 2007–08 season because of a knee injury sustained in early November, but rediscovered his goalscoring form on his return to win the Championship player-of-the-month award for December.

[70] Described by Albion manager Tony Mowbray as "a natural goal-scorer with great awareness and vision",[71] Phillips scored his 200th League goal in a 1–1 draw with Crystal Palace on 13 March 2008.

[77] When his contract with West Bromwich Albion expired at the end of the 2007–08 season, the club offered Phillips a one-year deal, with an additional second year if he made 19 or more league appearances.

[78] He made his debut on the opening day of the 2008–09 season against Sheffield United, coming on as a substitute to score a stoppage time winner in a 1–0 victory.

[86] Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, he came off the bench to score twice in the last ten minutes and win the game,[87] and on 27 March 2010, 1–0 down at home to Arsenal, a 92nd-minute clearance by Bacary Sagna deflected off Phillips' face via the goalkeeper into the net for his 250th career goal.

Facing League One club Brentford, Phillips scored a stoppage-time equaliser and converted his penalty in the shootout by which Birmingham progressed to the quarter-final.

They went on to reach the final, where Phillips received his first winners' medal in a cup competition, albeit as an unused substitute, as Birmingham defeated favourites Arsenal 2–1.

[95] In a five-game spell in January and February 2012, he came off the bench to score late equalising goals in three league matches, two of which Blackpool went on to win,[96][97][98] and, in his first start for three months, converted a 93rd-minute penalty against Sheffield Wednesday in the fourth round of the FA Cup to force a replay.

[98] Phillips took up the option to extend his Blackpool contract for a further year,[101] but scored only twice from 18 appearances before following manager Ian Holloway to Championship rivals Crystal Palace.

[102] He made his debut as a half-time substitute in the 2–1 win at home to Charlton Athletic, after being 1–0 down prior to his introduction,[103] and scored his first goal for the Eagles in their next game, against his former club Watford at Vicarage Road.

Palace were again trailing when he came off the bench, 2–0 down with half an hour remaining, and Phillips scored the equaliser as the side fought back to achieve a 2–2 draw.

[104] Phillips' hat-trick, scored in eight minutes either side of half-time in a 4–2 defeat of Hull City, made him the oldest scorer in Palace's history at 39 years 7 months.

[105] This is also the club's fastest ever hat-trick in the league, beating the previous record set by Dougie Freedman in 11 minutes in a 5–0 win against Grimsby Town exactly 17 years before.

On 27 May, he came on as a substitute in the play-off final and converted an extra-time penalty, after Wilfried Zaha had been fouled by Marco Cassetti, to secure Palace's promotion to the Premier League at the expense of former club Watford.

[112] The striker made his debut on 18 January against Leeds United, coming on as a substitute for Jamie Vardy, helping create the opportunity that saw fellow former England international David Nugent score the winning goal of the game.

[113] With Leicester already confirmed as champions, Phillips played his final career game in the last match of the season, against Doncaster Rovers on 3 May, and was substituted in the 65th minute.

[119] Despite being favourites to win the league, South Shields finished second and lost in the play-off semi-finals to Warrington Town in Phillips' first season as manager.

[130] In the final warm-up match before the Euro 2000 tournament, Phillips failed to score in a 2–1 victory against Malta, with the BBC describing him as having "that slightly desperate look of all fringe players who have been left precious little time to impress".