South Shields part company with Kevin Phillips after ‘difficult’ decision

South Shields have confirmed the ‘difficult’ departure of Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips less than a week after they celebrated their Northern Premier League title win.

Just over 15 months has passed since the former England striker was named as successor to former Mariners manager Graham Fenton and he has enjoyed a highly successful first and now only full season in charge at the 1st Cloud Arena. After suffering play-off heartache with a semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat against Warrington Town just months after taking over, Phillips was allowed to conduct an overhaul of his squad ahead of the current season.

Ambitious additions such as Hartlepool United stalwart Gary Liddle, former Newcastle United youngster Mackenzie Heaney and ex-Swindon Town centre-back Tom Broadbent have all played a part in what has been a memorable season for the club.

The likes of Workington, Stalybridge Celtic and Scunthorpe United were seen off in an FA Cup run that ended in front of the Match of the Day cameras with a 2-0 home defeat against League One club Forest Green Rovers.

True progress and a long-awaited promotion also arrived as Phillips guided the Mariners to the Northern Premier League title following a 1-0 win at Whitby Town earlier this month and enabled the club to take their place in the National League North at the fourth time of asking.

But his reign came to a close following Saturday’s season-ending game at Stafford Rangers on Saturday afternoon and club chairman Geoff Thompson is confident the former Sunderland star will ‘always hold a special place’ in the club’s history.

He said: “This has been a very difficult decision to come to, particularly given the successful season we have just enjoyed.

“We are hugely grateful to Kevin for his work over the last 15 months and the role he has played in delivering a promotion we have been striving for since 2018. He will always hold a special place in our history and we wish him nothing but success in his career. I can reassure supporters that our ambition remains strong and, if our fans and sponsors continue to back us in the way they have this season, we are confident in our ability to be extremely competitive in National League North next season.

“It is vital that we remain realistic when it comes to setting budgets and utilising the best talents which are produced by our Academy, though, and that will be an important part of our strategy moving forward.”

Phillips’ 15-month reign has proved to be a successful first venture into the lead role in the dugout after he spent time on the coaching staff of Derby County, Leicester City and Stoke City following his retirement from playing in 2014. Despite the surprise nature of his departure, coming just two weeks after a historic promotion was confirmed, the former European Golden Boot winner stressed it was the right moment to leave the club and he revealed he will continue supporting his former side from afar.

He explained: “I feel that this is the right time for me to depart, for a number of reasons.

“To be manager of South Shields has been an amazing experience and I’m very grateful for everything Geoff has done during my time at the club. I’ve given my heart and soul to this club and I’m disappointed to leave, but I’ve been in football a long time and I know things can change very quickly.

“There are lots of different factors behind this mutual decision, but I’d like to place on record my thanks to everyone connected to the club and I wish whoever comes in next all the success in the world. I was brought here to do a job and I did it, and although I’d have loved to have taken it further, circumstances have changed and I’ll be supporting the club in the next phase of its journey from afar.”