EXPERIENCE teaches you to accept there is no room for sentiment in professional sport, especially football.

But there are exceptions to every rule and Kevin Davies is undoubtedly an exceptional case.

In much the same way I could never come to terms with “Super” John McGinlay wearing the colours of a club other than Bolton Wanderers, I cannot imagine “Super” Kev leading the attack of any other team.

For a decade Davies has sweat blood in a white shirt, led from the front and epitomised the battling qualities that made Wanderers a force to be reckoned with.

Under Sam Allardyce’s management, the man from the Steel City not only held his own in the company of some of the game’s great talents – Djorkaeff, Okocha, Hierro and Anelka – but also earned their respect as a top professional.

Yet no one could have foreseen when he arrived in the summer of 2003 that he would become such a talismanic figure at the Reebok.

He might not have been as skilful as some of those around him, but in that first season he was ever-present as Wanderers put their survival battles behind them and soared up the Premier League table to gain the first of four successive top-eight Premier League finishes. He also scored in the League Cup final defeat to Middlesbrough.

The following season he led the charge as Wanderers qualified for Europe for the first time and further established his reputation as a formidable opponent abroad as well as in England where he was the scourge of top-flight defences.

For some, his finest hours was in the second UEFA Cup campaign in 2007 when he scored in the 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena, others will point to his performance in the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Birmingham City two years ago.

But it was his collective, overall contribution – not least his predominantly firm-but-fair challenges on unfortunate opponents – rather than individual, headline-grabbing performances that will be the abiding memory of his 10 seasons with Wanderers.

Never a prolific striker – his yellow card count is higher than his goal tally – Davies’ contribution to the cause is measured in much more than statistics.

Like McGinlay before him, Davies hoped to end his career with the Whites and continue serving in a coaching capacity long after his playing days were over.

Understandably, the big man was hurting when he was told he had no future at the club, but he can walk away knowing he ranks alongside the true legends of Bolton Wanderers.