JUST as Wanderers fans were finally starting to relax with administration having been avoided, the club was hit with another bitter blow on a black Tuesday, as former owner Eddie Davies died while on holiday in Portugal.

Highly regarded by everyone connected with the club, Davies is to be honoured this afternoon ahead of the Championship fixture against Queens Park Rangers.

Alongside a special matchday programme, those at the University of Bolton Stadium will observe a minute’s applause and Wanderers’ players will don black armbands to remember the man who bankrolled the club’s memorable stint in the Premier League.

And Phil Parkinson is hoping the present-day squad will produce the best tribute they can, by putting in a performance Davies would have relished.

“What happened with Eddie Davies puts everything into perspective,” he said at yesterday’s press conference. “It is hard because I have got to know Eddie during the time I’ve been here and he’s always offered me huge support personally, he was a great fan of the club as well as the owner.

“I think it’s important that we put in a performance at the weekend that Eddie would have been proud of, as a Bolton owner and true Bolton supporter, that’s got to be our aim.”

Sentiment will be set aside once the game kicks off and there is to be no quarter asked for or given by QPR who, after starting the season with four defeats – one a 7-1 thumping at West Bromwich Albion – have improved with four points from six ahead of the international break.

And with trips to Middlesbrough and Ipswich to come this week Parkinson feels his side are entering a crucial eight-day period with three games to produce performances to make statements of intent.

“It really is a big week for us, with three important games,” he said. “When you have the international break you are itching to get going again. Training has been good and the lads are champing at the bit to get out there in front of our home fans tomorrow.

“We’re ready, we’ve done our homework on QPR and we’re pretty confident we know how they’re going to play.

“They have had an indifferent start but they’ve made a couple of key signings and they’ve won one and drawn one in their last two.

“They’ve picked their season up so it’s going to be another tight Championship game but it’s one we’re very much looking forward to

“They’ve got some good players so we’re going to have to be at our very best to nullify their threats but equally I’d like to think we can cause them problems.

“We’ve had two weeks’ break, we’ve had a couple of games for the under-23s and the pros who haven’t played, they’ve been good.

“Tuesday was a tense day as you can imagine but from the players’ and staff’s point of view we’ve kind of pulled together through adversity in the last few years – probably longer than that – but they are a resilient group and we’re ready to roll our sleeves up and push on for what is an important week of football.”