How Evan Ferguson's ex-flatmate is aiming to use FAI Cup chance with Bohs to return to Premier League
Leigh Kavanagh has resurrected his career with Bohemians and will play in tonight's FAI Cup semi-final against Derry City at Dalymount Park
Leigh Kavanagh is used to taking care of top-class strikers. After all when he was at Brighton he was Evan Ferguson’s housemate and de facto Big Brother.
Tonight at Dalymount Park, it’ll be an older, more streetwise centre forward that Kavanagh will be aiming to ‘mind’ as Pat Hoban plans to arrive with his copybook of tricks gleaned from a decade and a half at the top.
In contrast, Kavanagh’s career is only really getting started. While he did make his League of Ireland debut five years ago, he kind of became the forgotten face of Irish football after moving from Bray to Brighton, where Ferguson, and to a lesser extent, Andy Moran, made their names.
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Kavanagh, in contrast, had to be content with making their breakfast - sharing digs first with Moran, later with Ferguson.
The Bohs defender said: “You don’t know what way you're going to get Ev, some days he could be in a good mood and some days at dinner he wouldn't speak to you! That's just him.
“We speak regularly, pretty much every day. All the Irish Brighton boys speak regularly.”
Those bonds will never break, Ferguson, Moran and Kavanagh forced to grow up quickly after leaving home, stuck together during the Covid lockdown period.
Worse again, from Kavanagh’s perspective, he suffered a significant injury to his lateral meniscus shortly after his move from Bray, a setback that curtailed his development.
He says: “It was difficult. In my first year I had a big blow with a big injury. Andy flew, went straight up and didn’t stop. He had a great first year and there was a lot of interest in him. Then Evan came over and was straight into the U21s, banging in goals and then (Graham) Potter gave him his chance. It was difficult to watch but I was happy for them, we’re all good friends. I'm back home now playing my senior football so I am happy.”
He came close to getting senior football with Brighton, too, travelling with the first team for three months last season, home and away, making the bench in the Europa League in Greece and at home against Marseille.
But at the end of the season came a blow, when Brighton released him: “It was tough to not have my contract extended.”
In came Bohs.
Kavanagh said: “It was difficult to say no to (clubs in) England but looking at how big a club Bohs is, the work they do in the community, Pat Fenlon and his take on Irish football, having seen the boys (Dan Casey and Jonathan Afolabi) come home from the UK go to Bohs and excel in their careers and head back across, I really took to it.
“Academy football is very different to football here. In England it’s all nice and pretty playing on the ground, but in senior football it’s more of a dog fight, fighting to get a result every Friday because otherwise people can lose their jobs.”
One man who has always found work is Hoban, Dundalk’s all-time leading goalscorer and now the man who may lead Derry to a double. Kavanagh has a big task to keep him quiet.
He said: “I haven’t played Derry this season. It will be a good match and hopefully Dalymount will be lively. Hopefully a difficult atmosphere for Derry to come into.
“The Cup was my first start against Shamrock Rovers. It was a good win and a good kick start then, we’ve had some very good results, some draws losses and some good wins as well.
“It would be great to get to the Aviva in November for the final. The lads were here last year and it would be amazing to have our family and friends here.”
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