Danny Searle has made pacy defender Giles Phillips his latest addition to the Fleet squad as the 27-year-old arrives with League One and National League experience.

Born in Milwaukee in the USA, Phillips played college football there before joining QPR from FC Barrington in 2017. A regular in the QPR U23 side where he was a few years ahead of the Fleet’s Franklin Domi, the centre-back’s debut in English football came in a loan period with Wycombe Wanderers. He made 11 League One appearances in the Chairboys’ promotion season in 2019/20 before joining them on a permanent basis in 2020.

His first link-up with Danny Searle came in a loan move to Aldershot Town and he impressed in the National League for the Shots, earning a permanent deal there in 2021. Phillips spent the next two years at the EBB Stadium, partnering Tyler Cordner for a season and he featured more than 70 times in total, scoring four goals.

Phillips reunited with the current Fleet boss again at Waterford in January 2023 and was part of the Blues side that sealed promotion to the League of Ireland Premier Division last November. At the conclusion of the Irish campaign, he returned to England and played the final three months of last season with Oxford City.

Speaking to Fleet TV, the new signing said: “Knowing Danny definitely makes the transition easier. I know exactly what he requires out of me. And then I played with Tyler for a season so I’m looking forward to building up that partnership we had as well. I’m an aggressive defender, but composed at the same time and bring some pace too.”