Wanderers will do everything they can this season to maximise the best use of in-form captain Kevin Davies , according to boss Owen Coyle.

Labelled “outstanding” by his manager, Davies has been one of the leading lights for the Whites in the Championship so far with two goals in five league outings – including what turned out to be the winner against Watford on Saturday.

But with the skipper now 35 years old, and with such a hectic schedule of 46 games in the Championship – 20 per cent more than the Premier League – Coyle knows he has to carefully manage the workload of his seasoned campaigner.

The way he has started the campaign with a bang, however, means there are no thoughts of resting him just yet with an away trip to Birmingham City tonight next on the agenda.

Coyle said: “It’s important you make sure your best players are at their prime to show their quality.

“Since Saturday, we have been looking at managing Kevin well because he is a very important player for us.

“You have to look at the recovery.

“I thought he was outstanding again on Saturday.

“I have said before that Kevin Davies doesn’t have to score goals to contribute to the team.

“But when he does, it just elevates him to another level.

“We have to make sure he is nice and fresh and ready to go again tonight.”

Coyle believes Davies is integral to Wanderers hopes of promotion this season and isn’t overly concerned about his ageing limbs – particularly after his goalscoring start to the Wanderers’ campaign.

He is full of praise for the forward, who has become Bolton’s talisman.

Coyle added: “Everybody knows my opinion of Kevin Davies.

“He is just an outstanding player and a terrific lad.

“He’s a real captain and has been in terrific form for us this season.

“When somebody gets to 30, if they have a bad game people say their legs have gone.

“At 20 – it’s just a bad game. Older players can just have bad days as well.

“I know our older players are driven to doing everything they can for the football club and Kevin Davies epitomises everything we want at Bolton Wanderers.”

Coyle is hopeful Davies isn’t the only one available again after little more than 72 hours since the last outing.

Wanderers face another hectic spell of three games in eight days, but Coyle knows his team have to adapt to the rigours of Championship football.

He said: “Hopefully, we will have a similar squad tonight to what we had on Saturday.

“We understand the nature of the fixtures and the number of them. A lot of games are squeezed in.

“This is the second time we will have had three games in a week and it is the second time despite only playing five matches.

“That’s the nature of the league and we have to understand the demands, both physically and mentally.

“It’s something we have to adjust to.”