HE was branded a sinner for so long at Bolton – but in my eyes Kevin Davies was always a saint.

I was delighted to read this week Big Kev’s testimonial has been sorted for next summer, and I’m just waiting on my call from him to referee the game.

I’m still registered, and I was good enough for Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher – so you’ve got my number buddy, and it would be a pleasure.

The prospect of seeing some of the guys from the Sam Allardyce era, especially those who have since gone abroad like Stelios and Ivan Campo, is one that has really got the town buzzing. I’m sure Bolton fans will be turning out in force when the date is confirmed.

This week I’ve been asked a lot about player reputations and whether they affect a referee’s mindset, and I think Kev is a good example of how they can.

We all saw the penalty Mike Jones should have awarded to Manchester City last weekend against Southampton, and when you are refereeing at the very top level you should know your players better. Sergio Aguero isn’t someone who is going to go to ground too easily.

I said at the time my eight-year-old daughter Lucy would have spotted it was a penalty and the more I see the incident, the clearer it gets.

If there is doubt in his mind when he sees Aguero go to ground then just leave it – give nothing. People might look back and say you were wrong but when you then caution him for simulation, you are just compounding a mistake.

On top of that, Mike also goes over to Manuel Pellegrini to speak with him. You have to ask why?

Leave that kind of thing to Phil Dowd, your fourth official. He’s experienced and unless he’s having problems and you need to go over to send the manager to the stands, he’s quite capable of calming him down.

You have to manage situations and you have to manage players.

Kevin Davies had a decade at Bolton where he was harshly treated, and some of that was probably because of the reputation he carried.

I’ve refereed him from time to time but he didn’t give me any trouble. That might have been because he knew he’d get a toe up his backside in training the next morning.

There were times, though, when you saw free-kicks awarded against him or cautions given where you just wondered if they would have happened if it had been another striker in that Bolton shirt.

He managed to battle on and I think it’s great credit to Bolton Wanderers that they are recognising his contribution to the club with a game next summer.

I’m still disappointed about how he ended up leaving the summer before last and if I’m being completely honest, I believe he was unfairly treated by a management team which is no longer at the club.

Seeing this game going ahead, with some of the great names of the past, shows that Wanderers’ relationship with players of that era – arguably the best since the fifties – is still strong and it will be great to see some of them back out there on the pitch.

But seriously, Kev, give me a call!

I’M amazed we have not come up with a way of rescinding cautions that have clearly been given incorrectly.

Anyone who saw Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero pick up a yellow card for simulation from Mike Jones at the weekend would have been left scratching their head. It was the most clear-cut penalty I have seen all season.

But now Aguero has to carry that into Christmas and run the risk of missing a game through suspension somewhere down the line.

I know the Football Association have looked closely into ways of scrubbing out cautions which are clear mistakes. The argument against is that you can’t go analysing every single one given each weekend – it would take ages and cost a fortune.

But there must be some way of addressing it, either by speaking to the officials concerned or by reviewing video evidence.

When a manager says after a game “the referee will look at that for me” I always laugh and think: “No, he won’t.”

Once a referee compiles his report online it’s done. He doesn’t want it all dragged up again.

We must be able to find some way of reviewing these cases, though.

If someone walked into a court of law and was charged with, let’s say assault, and there was no evidence to suggest they had done it, the case would be thrown out.

Why can’t that be the case with football?

On Monday morning the Football Association should sit down and review the evidence. Look at the Aguero incident and it is very clearly not cheating – so why on earth should he carry the punishment into the rest of the season?

The bloke who walks away from court after the assault charge has been chucked out wouldn’t carry that stigma with him, so why should Aguero?

I THINK it is time the authorities looked at extending the select group of referees to the Championship.

Too many times I am seeing officials who are not long out of Conference football taking charge of games in the second tier within two or three months of making the list.

When you consider how important games are in the Championship and what financial impact promotion can have at a football club, it is disappointing to see the haphazard way things are currently organised.

Bolton had an experienced ref in Nigel Miller the other week but then had Carl Berry – someone only just making his way at this level – on Saturday. And by all accounts, it caused problems for both teams.

The Championship should have a pool of referees incorporating some who are looking to burst into Premier League's select group and others who are experienced at Championship level.

Referees should earn their spurs in League One and Two. I’m not saying games at that level are less important but they are generally easier to manage.

We seem to be in too much of a rush to elevate younger refs to the highest possible level. When I was refereeing I had played football semi-professionally so knew the game well and had a different element of experience, many of the lads who are being hurried through the system right now don’t have that, so they would benefit from some extra time earning their spurs.

It is no coincidence that when the Championship play-off final comes around they reach for a Premier League referee. But I’d suggest that the 40-odd games before are equally important.

A REALLY sad story was brought to my attention on Twitter the other week about a 15-year-old referee who had been threatened by a parent after taking charge of an Under-12s game.

What have things come to when young lads who are trying to make their way in refereeing are being verbally abused?

The matter is being handled by the relevant authorities but it highlights one of the chief reasons why we are struggling to attract people at a young age to pick up the flag or a whistle.

My advice to any young person who referees local games is to be your own man, make your decisions and stick with them. Don’t lose your nerve.

After you blow the final whistle do not engage in conversations with parents or players. If you speak to anyone, talk calmly with the manager or coach.

If something untoward happens during or after a game then I implore you to alert the local football association and the police to log it.

I understand that the parent who threatened that young referee a few weeks ago has been banned by the club involved, and I applaud them for that.

This incident did not happen locally to Bolton but I hear there have been a few disciplinary issues in local leagues this last few weeks, and that is incredibly sad.

I hope that we can nip this kind of thing in the bud and allow our young players, coaches and referees to enjoy football, at whatever level it is played.