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Bolton Wanderers legend Kevin Davies has announced his official retirement from playing football, after 22 years as a professional footballer.
It's been emotional. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way #22seasons pic.twitter.com/TqX7NvUSRG
— Kevin Davies (@Kevin__Davies) September 4, 2015
Davies began his career with Chesterfield in 1993, first making his name as he inspired the side to their best ever FA Cup run, which included scoring a hat-trick against Bolton. After four years with the club he got a move to Southampton, where he scored 12 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions.
His form with the Saints earned him a club record £7.5m move to Blackburn Rovers, but he only scored one goal in a dire Rovers side that suffered relegation just four years after winning the Premier League. Davies then moved back to Southampton in a strange swap deal for Egil Ostenstad and spent four more years on the south coast, scoring 13 goals in 95 appearances.
Upon his release by Southampton his career totally changed for the better as he joined Bolton on a free transfer in the summer of 2003. He started every league game in his first season at the club, scoring ten league goals and scoring in the League Cup final against Middlesbrough - earning him Bolton's Player of the Year award.
Davies' playing style made him an instant fans' favourite, he was the player that our fans loved to love and opposing fans loved to hate. He was also consistently the player most fouled and who committed the most fouls throughout Premier League seasons.
His affinity with the fans was enhanced when he was named a Bolton captain in January 2009, following the sale of Kevin Nolan to Newcastle United. In his decade at Bolton, Davies racked up 407 appearances in all competitions and scored 85 goals. His form for Wanderers also earned him an England cap, coming on as a substitute in the Euro qualifier against Montenegro in October 2010 - making him the oldest England debutant since 1950.
My long lasting memory of SKD will always be watching the League Cup final with Middlesbrough fans in a Walkabout pub at university and going crazy when he scored, before anyone else had realised it had gone in.
If this little walk down memory lane wasn't emotional enough for you, then I urge you to watch these YouTube tributes to the great man.
Good luck in (playing) retirement @Kevin__Davies - signed everyone connected with #bwfc #superkev pic.twitter.com/P3TESYZBM6
— Marc Iles (@MarcIles) September 4, 2015