After five years at Bramall Lane, he had brief spells with Oldham Athletic and Preston North End before joining Bolton Wanderers 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 at Ninian Park, and he soon formed an effective striking partnership with David Reeves.
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.
Following the resignation of Paul Dickov at Oldham Athletic on 3 February 2013 Philliskirk was put in charge of the club once again on a temporary basis.
[4] In December 2018, Philliskirk returned to Burnley FC where we had a short spell as player in the 1990s and was appointed the new head coach of the U18s team[5] Philliskirk's son Danny is also a professional footballer,[6] who plays for AFC Fylde, after previously playing for Sheffield United, Blackpool, and Oldham Athletic his father's former clubs.