PLAYER PROFILE

Kevin Davies

Position: Forward

Height: 6'1

Weight: 14st 0lbs

Date of Birth: 1977-03-26 Sheffield, England

Kevin Davies

Kevin returned to Southampton in August 1999 in a surprise swap deal that took Egil Ostenstad and £1.2million to Blackburn.

He first came to public attention for his goal scoring exploits in Chesterfield's remarkable FA Cup run to the semi-finals in 1997. Southampton brought him to the Premiership where he quickly settled in with nine goals in his first season.

His £7m move to Blackburn proved disastrous for Kevin as goals proved elusive, his confidence vanished and the team struggled.

Relegation proved the final ignominy and the return to Saints has provided the necessary opportunity to rebuild his career.

On his return to Southampton, Kevin faced greater competition for places than he had before with Marian Pahars, James Beattie and Brett Ormerod all in place for the start of the 2002/03 season. Davies moved to Millwall on a one-month loan on September 13, 2002, to gain a short spell of regular first-team action.

The striker was released by Southampton at the end of that season but was not out of the game for very long. He impressed Sam Allardyce during a trial spell at the Reebok Stadium in the summer of 2003 and signed a one-year deal.

Davies scored for Bolton in a 4-0 friendly win over Portadown on his debut, said: "I can't wait to get as fit as I can and get my place in the team. I've got a chance in the Premiership."

The move was exactly what Davies needed to reinvent himself. He played an important part in Bolton's most successful season ever. He was one of the few players to be ever present for the Trotters throughout the entire season, scoring 10 goals and collecting 11 yellow cards. He was also voted Players' Player of the Year by his fellow professionals, beating Ivan Campo for the award.

Bolton assistant Phil Brown said: "When Kevin came to the club he was somewhat a broken man but he had a good pre-season and then a good start. His confidence kicked in and everything fell into place for him quite nicely."

The 2004/05 season saw Davies and Bolton improve even further as he helped the Trotters qualify for next season's UEFA Cup. He played 41 times and scored 9 goals, including winners in home matches against Liverpool and Newcastle United.

This success continued in the 2005/06 season, as he scored eight goals in forty-seven games. This stat was upped to nine goals in 33 games in 07/08 and he is now a vital part of the Bolton team.