Kevin Davies is hoping that his move to Bolton can resurrect a Premiership career which came to a plateau at Southampton last season. After a big move from his first club Chesterfield to Blackburn it has been something of a yo-yo career for the 26-year-old striker but this season he has started well at his new club. Givemefootball’s Lawrie Madden caught up with the striker to discuss events so far.
Q:SO FAR, SO GOOD AT THE REEBOK?
A:Yes, I am pleased with the way things have gone so far having scored two goals in the opening five games. When Bolton came in for me I didn’t need to be asked twice and I went on a pre-season tour to Italy with them and signed for a year when I came back.
Q:WHEN YOU LEFT SOUTHAMPTON AT THE END OF THE SEASON DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD GET ANOTHER PREMIERSHIP CLUB?
A:I was a little worried when I was released because I didn’t know where I was going to end up and the way the game has gone financially has meant it might not have been the best time to look for a new club. I was considering either going into the Nationwide or going abroad but when Bolton showed an interest that was an easy decision for me to make.
Q:SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO GEL BUT YOU SEEM TO HAVE FITTED IN QUICKLY?
A:Going on the pre-season tour with them helped, and the staff and the players all made me feel welcome. I had a good pre-season and am in good shape and I feel happy off the pitch as well which is not something I have felt for a while. I was eager for another chance in the Premiership and I intend to take it.
Q:YOU HAD A METEORIC RISE AND THEN IT SEEMED TO STALL. CAN YOU PUT YOUR FINGER ON THE REASON WHY?
A:I get asked that question all the time. After leaving Blackburn things were difficult for a couple of years and did not go so well for me but I would not change anything. In the ten years of my career I have been to the cup final, had promotion with Chesterfield, played for England under 21’s and played with some great players. I don’t know what went wrong but I don’t think I would change it even if I could. To be honest it is something I don’t think about. - all I am doing is concentrating on now.
Q:WHAT WOULD AMOUNT TO SUCCESS FOR BOLTON THIS SEASON?
A:I suppose success would be to avoid relegation and stay in the Premiership but my old club Southampton have shown what you can do with a top ten finish and an FA Cup final appearance. We have just got our first away victory so we are looking upwards now. Any three of about ten teams could get relegated, realistically.
Q:WHAT ABOUT YOUR OWN PERSONAL AMBITIONS?
A:People seem to forget I am still only 26 years old, so there’s plenty left to achieve. My aim is to score regularly and do my bit for the team. I don’t want to be a one in four or five games scorer I want to be nearer to one in two. At the moment I have scored two in five, so if I score against Newcastle then it will be three in six, which will be my target. If I do that then I will keep the shirt.
Q:WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF BOLTON AS A CLUB?
A:Well, the manager certainly makes us train hard, and every aspect of training, diet, preparation etc is looked into by the staff in great detail for Saturday. We are well organised as a team and have a lot of talent. We play three up front and look to get the ball wide. We look good going forward and in the last couple of games we have looked solid at the back too - and kept clean sheets, which is important.
Q:IF YOU ARE GOING TO IMPROVE AS A TEAM WHERE WILL YOU NEED TO WORK ON?
A:The manager has been talking about concentrating to the end. Last season Bolton conceded a goal in injury time in five games and it cost the club ten points. If Bolton had got those points it could have pushed them up to 8th, so if we can cut those late goals out we should be okay.
