Despite being at the club for only four months, Calum Kavanagh has made a great impression among the Bradford City supporters for his hard work with and without the ball, and his goalscoring ability. It also appears that those fans have had an impression on the player.
Calum, the son of EFL great Graham Kavanagh, signed a two-year contract with the Bantams on Deadline Day of the January transfer season from Middlesbrough for an unknown sum.
The 20-year-old attacker did, however, have a successful stint with the Middlesborough under-18s prior to joining Bradford, tallying 13 goals in 20 games. After that, Kavanagh had loan stints in the EFL League Two with Newport County in 2023 and Harrogate Town in 2022.
“It feels brilliant to be here,” Kavanagh said after arriving in Bradford. I am incredibly excited to be starting this new phase in my career at such a large club with such lofty goals. At this point in my career, I need this, and this club provides it.
Following his first-ever goal for the team and an assist in a resounding 4-0 victory at home against MK Dons in February, Kavanagh added goals against Sutton United, Tranmere Rovers, Salford City, and Newport County in the last game of the season.
Kavanagh on the “special” Valley Parade atmosphere
After the current season ended, Kavanagh thanked the Bradford fans at Valley Parade for creating a “special” environment that was felt by the players, coaches, and fans alike as the team had a chance to qualify for the playoffs. That is definitely something the team can carry over into the next season and something they will require if they are to succeed in 2024–2025.
In addition, the team customarily remembers the Valley Parade Fire Disaster at the stadium during the final home game of the season. After the players exit the pitch to the sound of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” there is a minute of silence.
“I just took everything in,” Kavanagh said in reference to the game as we were leaving when they were playing You’ll Never Walk Alone. This is unique. Bradford City is a very special location when there’s something to play for.”
On May 11, 2024, in Centenary Square in the city centre, the 39th anniversary of the fire tragedy will be held.
Kavanagh’s end-of-season comments after convincing Newport win
The Bantams finished the season quite strong, so even though they were unable to secure a play-off spot on the final day of the season, they have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming campaign.
Since promotion was anticipated, club supporters had every right to be angry and dissatisfied with the season overall. Nevertheless, the team had a successful season finale, and there are plenty of things to look forward to in the upcoming one.
“We’ve given ourselves a good foundation for next season and a baseline of what we can do,” Kavanagh said. It’s all about consistency in this league. We now have a clear picture of how to maintain that.”
The Bantams need consistency, as Kavanagh mentioned, if they want to succeed the following season. Towards the close of the current campaign, the team demonstrated that they could achieve that. They also require the fierce support that the supporters provided them with at the close of the season; it was almost sufficient to enable them to qualify for the 2024 football playoffs, and it might propel them even farther in a year.
Bradford City supporters have a lot to look forward to next season with the arrival of some significant players in the summer and the current potential of players like Kavanagh, Pointon, and Young to build a squad around. With Kavanagh’s remarks ringing in, now is the time to rally around the team.
