Charlie Phillips

Cuthbert (Charlie) Phillips was born in Victoria, Monmouthshire, on 23rd June 1910. After leaving school he became a boilerman. However, he also played football for Ebbw Vale. A speedy outside-right, several Football League clubs attempted to sign him but Major Frank Buckley persuaded him to join Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1929.

Phillips was a regular scorer and in 1931 he won his first international cap for Wales against Northern Ireland. He scored on his debut and went on to play in nine more games, six as captain, for his country.

Phillips scored 18 goals in the 1931-32 season and helped Wolves win the Second Division championship.

Major Frank Buckley eventually established a very good side that included Phillips, Dai Richards, Reg Hollingsworth, Billy Barraclough, Billy Hartill, Stan Cullis, Tom Galley and Tom Smalley.

In the 1934-35 season Wolves finished in 17th place in the First Division winning only 15 of their 42 games. Billy Hartill was again top scorer with 33 goals. However, at the end of the season Frank Buckley upset the Wolves' fans by selling Hartill to Everton. It seemed that Buckley and the Wolves board were more concerned with making a profit than winning the First Division championship.

Charlie Phillips was sold to Aston Villa for a fee of £9,000 in January 1936. During his time at Wolves he had scored 65 goals in 202 games. Phillips scored on his debut against Derby County but could not stop the team being relegated that season. However, the following season Phillips won a Second Division championship-winning medal.

Phillips lost his place in the international side and unable to recapture the form that he enjoyed while playing for Wolves, he was sold to Birmingham City in March 1938. The following season he moved to Chelmsford City.

After retiring from professional football Phillips became the landlord of Butters Arms in Bushbury.

Charlie Phillips died in Lichfield on 21st October 1969.