Steve Bruce has warned his Sunderland defenders will have to be on top of their game to cope with the significant threat of Bolton striker Kevin Davies.

Bruce tried and failed to sign the 32-year-old frontman during his time in charge at Birmingham, and remains an admirer of a player who seems to have as many critics as he does fans.

But he is hoping his improving defence can keep Davies at bay at the Stadium of Light as the Black Cats attempt to complete a first Barclays Premier League double of the season and lift themselves clear of the fight for top-flight survival.

Bruce said: "He is very clever, very, very good at what he does. He has played in the Premier League now for years and let's be fair, he has been Bolton's talisman for years.

"I would love to see their results without him when he is not playing. He has led Bolton from the front years after year, and he keeps doing it.

"At the weekend, the report I have just got, Kevin Davies was their star man again. He is paramount to what they do.

"I tried to sign him on a couple of occasions, unsuccessfully, but I like everything that goes with him as a footballer.

"He is big, uncompromising, gets on with it, tough as they come. He is a handful, that's for sure."

Davies set Wanderers on their way to a precious 2-1 win at West Ham on Saturday with his sixth goal of the season, but it was his overall contribution which served warning of the problems he could present on Wearside.

Sunderland are without a league victory in 14 attempts, a run which dates back to November 21, and Bolton's success at Upton Park saw them leap-frog the Black Cats into the relative safety of 13th place.

However, they remain just two points better off than their hosts, who in turn are only three clear of the drop zone, and victory for either could have major implications for the other.

The 1-0 win at the Reebok Stadium remains the Black Cats' only league success on the road so far this term, and Bruce would cheerfully settle for a repeat.

He said: "We did it brilliantly in August when we beat them on their patch - it seems a long time ago now, by the way.

"We can't deny the run we are in, and this little bit of confidence or whatever it is, we have just got to find it from somewhere if we are going to get a result.

"But there have been signs over the last few weeks. We have been far more difficult to beat, which has pleased me.

"We haven't really played that well, but we have shown a resilience and a stomach for the fight, which has pleased me."