ACE CALUM HAS GOT GOAL BUZZ
TEENAGE hot-shot Calum Kavanagh is ‘buzzing’ to have netted his maiden senior goal with Harrogate Town – and wants it to be the first of many.
The 18-year-old, on loan from Middlesbrough, came off the bench last weekend to open his account with a 94th-minute equaliser against Walsall.
And with the Sulphurites boasting four players - Luke Armstrong, Jack Muldoon, Jack Diamond and Alex Pattison - in double figures this season, Kavanagh is confident he can score more before returning to the Riverside this summer.
The son of ex-Republic of Ireland international Graham attracted attention from Arsenal and Chelsea due to his goalscoring exploits at a young age for Boro.
He also arrived at
Wetherby Road as
January’s Premier League 2 Player of the Month, having bagged seven goals, including a hat-trick against Sunderland, at the start of 2022
– a return that convinced player, father, parent club and Harrogate that he was ready to be fast-tracked through Under-23s football into the cut and thrust of League Two.
On choosing the right destination, the 5ft 10in forward said: “There are playmakers here who can also score goals and, if my movement is right, I can get towards their numbers.
“I was buzzing with my first goal. It was a header and I don’t score too many of them but, when I do, they tend to be decent. I’ve got a big head, so I have to use that to my advantage!”
Kavanagh got off the mark in his sixth professional outing, having spurned a handful of opportunities in previous games.
Rather than going into his shell, though, the energetic attacker backed himself to hit the target if he continued to get into the right positions.
“I was disappointed not to have scored any of the chances before, but I looked at the movement that got me in those situations and it was decent,” he said. “If I’m getting that right, I’m confident I’ll put more away now.”
Pre-weekend, his header had earned Harrogate their only point from five contests with manager Simon Weaver holding a long post-match inquest following Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat to Leyton Orient.
Having been in lower-league changing rooms at the age of ten when his father managed Carlisle, though, Kavanagh quickly became acquainted with the demands on players in the pro game.
“My dad is harsh with me and I’ve seen him be harsh with other players in dressing rooms, so I’ve always been used to that environment,” explained Kavanagh. “Coming here, I knew that men’s football is a lot more intense.
“I’m not taken aback by it at all. I had experience of it as a young kid, which was great because it showed me what happens in football and that you need to get used to it.
Thrive
“I’ve never minded being told off by coaches. Some lads might think they are being dug out, but I thrive on that.”
Having also spent time on loan from Boro at then League Two Darlington early in his career, dad Graham shared tips, meanwhile, on what to expect in the EFL’s bottom tier.
“He said it will be tough and rough,” Kavanagh junior explained. “He thought he would go to Darlington, get on the ball and be the playmaker, but it’s not like that.
“There are a lot more second balls, the ball is in the air quite a bit and it’s a physical game, so you get used to being kicked.”
Despite being born in Wales and growing up in England, there was never any doubt where Kavanagh’s international allegiances were going to lie either. Graham won 16 caps for the Republic of Ireland and Calum has represented the same country at under-17 level.
“England actually approached me at 15 and the Middlesbrough coaches asked me how I would feel about playing for England,” Calum revealed. “I said there’s no chance I’ll ever be playing for England. It was nice of them to invite me to a camp, but my blood is Irish.”