For the former Australian rules footballer, see Ron Phillips

Ron Phillips

Ron Phillips is a former Australian rules footballer who played with North Adelaide in the SANFL. He won back to back Magarey Medals in 1948 and 1949, the only other North Adelaide player to achieve this feat is Tommy MacKenzie....

Ronald "Ronnie" Phillips (born 30 March 1947, Worsley

Worsley

Worsley is a town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies along the course of Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. The M60 motorway bisects the area....

; died 18 April 2002) is a former English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 professional footballer.

Playing career

A left sided midfielder who also played as winger, Phillips began his career with Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

. After 145 league appearances and a loan spell with Chesterfield

Chesterfield F.C.

Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

, Phillips joined Bury

Bury F.C.

Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...

 in 1975 for a two year spell.

Early in 1977–78

1977-78 in English football

The 1977–1978 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England, from August 1977 to May 1978:-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...

 Phillips joined Chester

Chester City F.C.

Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...

, where he became part of one of the club's most successful teams. His four year stint at Sealand Road

Sealand Road

Sealand Road was the home stadium of Chester City Football Club from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road...

 was largely successful, although Phillips did suffer the indignity of missing an open goal for Chester in a televised match at Blackpool

Blackpool F.C.

Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

 in December 1978.

Phillips left Chester in February 1981 and briefly joined Chorley

Chorley F.C.

Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...

 before signing for Barrow

Barrow A.F.C.

Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...

 in the Alliance Premier League

Conference National

Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...

. But he suffered a serious leg injury shortly after signing and left him in plaster for six months, effectively ending his playing career at a serious level.

After his football career ended Phillips worked for an insurance company and later established a successful newsagents business. Unfortunately he began to suffer from depression, leading to his death from self-inflicted injuries in April 2002.