SUNDERLAND legend Kevin Phillips has revealed how his first managerial job with South Shields got off to a tragic start after he found his close friend dead.
The former Premier League striker, 49, joined the seventh-tier club in his first management role in January 2022.
Phillips spent 20 years at the top of the English game having joined Watford from Baldock Town in 1994 and retiring in 2014.
He spent a large part of his career at Sunderland and won the European Golden Shoe for his 30-goal haul in the 1999-2000 campaign.
Phillips also had spells at Southampton, Aston Villa, West Brom, Birmingham, Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Leicester.
He won eight England caps and had been coaching at Leicester, Derby and Stoke since his retirement until he took charge of South Shields.
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However, he has now revealed the tragedy he endured just 33 days into the job during an interview with The Telegraph.
Phillips became close friends with Keith Havelock, a staunch Sunderland supporter who volunteered at the club’s fans' museum during his time playing for the Black Cats and instantly “got on like a house on fire”.
Phillips said: “He followed me everywhere. He drove to every away game, and we travelled back together.”
After Keith’s help in persuading him to join South Shields, he even put up the ex-forward while he looked for somewhere of his own to live in Durham.
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Then, heartbreakingly, tragedy occurred.
Phillips said: “I hadn’t been able to get hold of him all day.
“Not unusual, but when I got to his house, his car was there. I knocked on the door. No answer.
“I knew something wasn’t right. I opened the door to a room on the left fearing the worst. I found him dead.”
Keith had cardiomyopathy and his heart had failed, with Phillips saying: “It left a massive hole in my heart. It took until the summer for me to let it sink in. Football is therapeutic.”
Keith’s daughter Kelly now attends every South Shields home match to support Phillips in his quest to guide the club to the National League North.
After suffering play-off agony in the Northern Premier League last term, they are now 12 points clear at the top with just five games remaining.
Phillips added: “I’ve told them they could become heroes.
“I’ve had those days. I’d sacrifice my status here for these boys. I want them to walk down the street, head up, chest out. I want that for them. Not for me.”
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