FORMER Wanderers captain Kevin Davies will be honoured at Sunday night’s Football League Awards for his services to the game.

The former England international will be given the Sir Tom Finney Award at the gala event in Manchester after the conclusion of a career which spanned 22 years and more than 800 appearances.

Davies spent a glorious decade at Wanderers where his career was rejuvenated under Sam Allardyce, with Super Kev helping to establish the club in the Premier League elite and take its first-ever steps in European competition.

“It is a huge honour to accept the Sir Tom Finney Award,” he said. “I would like to thank The Football League for the accolade and also all the clubs that I had the pleasure of playing for. After making my debut for Chesterfield at the age of 16 I would never have believed that I would go on playing for the next 22 years.

“To win the Sir Tom Finney Award is particularly special for me. He was a true legend and fantastic ambassador of the game. To be associated to such a special player gives me an enormous sense of pride particularly as my last professional game was for Preston North End gaining promotion at Wembley.”

Davies retired as a player in September 2015 after a prestigious 22-year playing career, in which he amassed 820 career appearances. The first of the appearances came for Chesterfield in a League Cup tie against West Ham United in 1993, aged just 16. He helped Chesterfield to the FA Cup semi-final before moving on to Southampton and then a record-breaking move to Blackburn Rovers. But while his career at Ewood Park did not run smoothly, with Davies eventually loaned out to Millwall, it set in motion a chain of events that led him to his adopted home town of Bolton, where he remains to this day.

In 10 years he achieved legendary status with Wanderers, scoring 85 goals in 407 appearances – including a famous strike in the 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich.

Davies won promotion via the Play-Offs on two occasions – once with Chesterfield and once with Preston North End – and reached a League Cup Final with Bolton in 2004. Aged 33, Kevin became the oldest England debutant since the 38-year-old Leslie Compton in 1950 when he faced Montenegro in Euro 2012 qualifier. Fittingly, Kevin Davies finished his career with Tom Finney’s beloved Preston North End making 73 appearances and scoring six goals for the Lillywhites.

Shaun Harvey, Chief Executive of The Football League, said: “The Football League is delighted to present Kevin Davies with the Sir Tom Finney Award. Not only was Sir Tom a fantastic player but he was also a gentleman and a role model. This award acknowledges someone who follows in his footsteps and it couldn’t go to someone more deserving than Kevin Davies.

“In his career, Kevin became one of the most respected professionals in English football, displaying both great skill and dignity. I’m sure Sir Tom would have been delighted that a former Preston North End player is to receive this accolade.”

The Football League Awards take place on Sunday evening at Manchester Central.