Statistically, a day of rest does Kevin Davies' body good

Slowing down is something that doesn't seem to be in Super Kev's vocabulary. In fact, at just under halfway through the Championship season, SKD has already equalled his goal tally for last season.

Kevin Davies has played a part in every single one of Bolton's 22 matches in the nPower Championship this season. On only three of those occasions did he play less than 60 minutes: 58 minutes against Burnley, 3 against Blackpool, and 31 against Brighton. Of those 22 games, he's scored in five of them, providing six goals thus far this season along with five assists. Kevin Davies has either scored or assisted 34.375% of the goals that Bolton Wanderers have scored this season.

Yet, at his age, you have to wonder about how long he can continue on a pace like this, especially in a division as rough-and-tumble as the Championship is. It got us wondering: does Super Kevin Davies need some rest and does he do better following a bit of a break?

First, let's break down the numbers a little bit. As previously mentioned, SKD scored in five games for six goals (he had a double vs Leeds). In those five games where Kevin Davies has scored, Bolton have taken 11 of a possible 15 points. When SKD assists a goal (five assists in four games), Bolton have taken 10 of a possible 12 points. Davies has not registered a goal and an assist in the same game. In the nine games SKD has scored or assisted in, Bolton have not lost once, picking up five wins and three draws.

As for rest, of the five games that SKD has scored in, four of them have come directly after he did not go the full 90 the previous week. The one occasion where this didn't happen was his brace against Leeds United. That game came in the middle of a run of nine straight matches where Davies went the full 90.

Of course, correlation does not equal causation but it's certainly an interesting trend.

Below is the table of Bolton's matches and Kevin Davies' minutes, goals, assists, and shots in those matches (for whatever reason, his goal at blackburn somehow did not register a shot).