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Kevin Davies is confident that Dion Charles can follow-up his goal-laden campaign with Wanderers.
The former Bolton captain has kept a close eye on the striker ever since signing him as a youngster at Southport.
This season Charles became the first player in 22 years to top the 20-goal mark for the Whites and got off the mark for Northern Ireland in March with a brace against San Marino.
Wanderers are likely to be looking towards him again next season to lead their line and Davies believes his former charge will enjoy the spotlight.
“Dion has always had a decent attitude and he’s quite ambitious as well, so to see him scoring regularly doesn’t surprise me one bit,” he told The Bolton News.
“He needs to be in the right environment where he is happy with staff and players around him. That’s when you get the best out of Dion when he is happy, smiling and confident.
“That’s the thing with strikers – you are not happy just winning, you need to be scoring as well.
“I wasn’t built that way… It was more of a surprise when I knocked one in! But we’re all different aren’t we?
“He’s an infectious character and I wish him well, he’s a lovely lad.”
Davies’s only stint in management with Southport lasted just over six months.
One of his first signings involved going back to his old stomping ground at Euxton, the former Bolton training ground which later became home to Preston North End.
“I was getting around and watching games and I think I was up at Euxton watching Fleetwood against Wigan or Preston’s Under-23s in a bounce game and him and a lad called Elliot Osborne - who is playing at Altrincham now – caught my eye,” he recalled.
“I thought ‘who’s this lad?’ And went to watch him a couple more times.
“Gretar Steinsson was at Fleetwood back then and I managed to convince them to let Dion come to us. We didn’t pay any money but he got a good two-year deal, he came in and did the business. “You could tell he was far too good for that level and that it was always going to be a stepping stone.
“It is no surprise to me that he is doing well for Bolton and for his country, and I’m interested to see what level he can get to now.”
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