Daniel Philliskirk (born 10 April 1991) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a midfielder for
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
.
Born in
Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
, Greater Manchester, he began his career as a junior with
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
before moving to
Chelsea. Having failed to break into the Chelsea side he spent time on loan at
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
before signing for
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
. Having been on the fringes of first team football he was eventually released to allow him to join
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
on a short-term contract, before his return to Oldham. In January 2016, he signed for
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
on a -year deal with the club having an option to extend a further year.
Philliskirk is the son of former Sheffield United and
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
forward
Tony Philliskirk who was the head of youth development at
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
.
Career
Early career
Philliskirk began his career with his home town club,
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
. He progressed through the club's youth system before signing a four-year contract with
Chelsea in the summer of 2007.
He captained the Chelsea
youth team
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
in the 2008–09 season before establishing himself in the club's reserves.
He signed a one-month loan deal with
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
in August 2010,
making his
first-team début (and only appearance for Oxford) against
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...
in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
a few days later before returning to Chelsea.
Sheffield United
Philliskirk joined Sheffield United on a month's loan in January 2011,
which was then extended until the end of the season. He had to wait until mid-April to make his first appearance for the Blades, away at
Preston coming on as a second-half substitute, following which he signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Blades permanently at the end of the season.
He was released from Chelsea after finishing his contract with them and later joined
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
, as promised, on a free transfer.
In his first full season at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...
however, he found first-team opportunities limited and agreed to re-join
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
on a month's loan in October 2011
making four appearances for the Us.
On his return to Bramall Lane Philliskirk remained on the fringes of the first team and was rewarded with an extended deal in January 2012.
The following season, he remained unable to make the break into the first team and was released by United in January 2013.
Coventry City
Philliskirk undertook a trial at
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
following his release from
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
. After impressing manager
Mark Robins
Mark Gordon Robins (born 22 December 1969) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of club Stoke City. As a player, he was a striker and is best known for his time in the Premier League with Manchester United, Norw ...
, he signed a contract until June 2013.
Steven Pressley
Steven John Pressley (born 11 October 1973) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre back. He is currently the head coach of club Dundee F.C., Dun ...
, who had replaced Robins as Coventry manager, announced on 30 April 2013 that Philliskirk's contract would not be renewed. In total, Philliskirk made a single appearance for the club.
Following his release from Coventry, Philliskirk trialled in the summer of 2013 with
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
side
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
.
Oldham Athletic
After his release from his contract at Coventry and impressing whilst on trial at the club where his career began, Philliskirk signed a two-year contract with the option of a third on 28 August 2013, becoming Lee Johnson's eleventh summer signing. Philliskirk scored 2 goals on his debut for Latics in a 4–1 away victory against Shrewsbury in the Football League Trophy. Following this up with goals against Preston, also in the Football League Trophy, and his first career league goal a winner against Swindon Town.
On 2 May 2014, Philliskirk signed an extension on his contract for a further two-years with the option of a third year.
Blackpool
On 7 January 2016, Philliskirk joined
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
on an initial two-and-a-half-year deal from
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for the Seasiders in a 5–0 win against
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The club was formed in ...
. He was released by Blackpool at the end of the 2017–18 season.
AFC Fylde
After being released by Blackpool at the end of the 2017–18 season, Philliskirk joined National League club
AFC Fylde
AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm.
Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wes ...
on a two-year contract. He scored his first Fylde goal in a 1–1 draw away to Barnet on 22 September 2018. Philliskirk then went onto score in Fylde's 3–0 over Braintree Town on 29 September 2018. On 27 October 2018, he scored in a comfortable 6–0 away win against Maidenhead United.
In December 2023, Philliskirk joined
National League North
The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...
club
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
on an initial two-month loan deal.
International career
Philliskirk earned three
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
s for the
England U17 team in 2007.
Personal life
Philliskirk is the son of former
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
and
Bolton
Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...
forward
Tony Philliskirk and was briefly coached by his father in
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
's youth team.
Philliskirk is of partial Scottish descent on his father's side.
Career statistics
Honours
AFC Fylde
*
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
:
2018–19
References
External links
*
Danny Philliskirk – Sheffield United profileDaniel Philliskirk England statsat
The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philliskirk, Danny
1991 births
Living people
Footballers from Oldham
English men's footballers
England men's youth international footballers
Men's association football forwards
Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
Chelsea F.C. players
Oxford United F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Blackpool F.C. players
AFC Fylde players
Southport F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
English people of Irish descent
English people of Scottish descent
21st-century English sportsmen