AFC Fylde midfielder has sent out a statement by remaining at Mill Farm

That’s according to chairman David Haythornthwaite, who believes the midfielder’s decision to commit to the club sends a positive message to other players who might be interested in making the move to Mill Farm in future.

Philliskirk had been widely expected to leave the Coasters when his contract expired, with League Two side Carlisle thought to have offered a higher wage.

But the former Blackpool man (pictured) opted to stay at Mill Farm, much to the delight of the club’s owner.

“You always want to try to bring good people into your organisation and get rid of the bad ones,” Haythornthwaite said.

“If you are not doing that you are not running a company correctly and you won’t last very long.

“So it’s always better starting on the premise that someone wants to join you. If you are having to persuade them to join because they are not so sure, it usually doesn’t work out because you end up persuading them by giving them more money or promising them something, but really their heart isn’t in it.

“I’ve said many times that coming to Fylde doesn’t suit a lot of players. You could have come from a club where you are playing in front of 4-5,000 a week, but then you come to Fylde and it’s a different atmosphere.

“Some people don’t like that and can’t perform. Maybe Lewis (Montrose) could have suffered from that. Lewis was a lovely lad but he’d played a lot of football at a higher level.

“Sometimes players don’t fit in but Danny Philliskirk has been there and understands Fylde and our limitations. But no-one has a better ground or training facilities.

“For our level we’re second to none. But we don’t have a big fanbase because we only started 12 years ago and that’s our limitation.

“Danny understands that and that, when we play in London, we always stay at a hotel and have an overnight stop. Not everybody does that.

“Danny has been at a lot of other clubs so he can compare that professionalism. They talk about the grass being greener on the other side, but he’s been on the other side and knows his grass is quite green at Fylde.

“It’s encouraging and sends a good message to other players when you get a good professional like Danny committing himself and being prepared to take a pay cut and some wage deferral. Every credit to the guy.

“We want continuity at Fylde. It’s really easy to talk about and not so easy to do. If you can get that core bunch of players and staff it’s very important.

“When Jim (Bentley) came the tea lady from Morecambe came over for weeks because she was used to talking to Jim every Saturday and couldn’t imagine not doing. I genuinely believe in putting that family club together.”