Cian Kavanagh

Cian Kavanagh (born 3 January 2003) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for League of Ireland Premier Division club St Patrick's Athletic. His previous clubs are Heart of Midlothian, Cowdenbeath, Waterford and Derry City.

Youth career
A native of Baldoyle, Dublin, Kavanagh came through the academy of League of Ireland Premier Division side St Patrick's Athletic whom he signed for in 2017, where he featured for the under 15, under 17 and under 19s sides. In October 2018, he scored twice in a 4–0 win over Cork City in the National Under 15 Cup Final at Richmond Park.

St Patrick's Athletic
He was included in the first team by manager Harry Kenny ahead of the 2019 season, aged 16. He made his first appearance with the St Patrick's Athletic first team on 19 January 2019, in a 4–1 win over Cobh Ramblers in a pre-season friendly. On 13 July 2019, he was an unused substitute in a friendly against UEFA Europa League holders Chelsea.

Heart of Midlothian
Kavanagh signed a 3-year contract with Hearts of Midlothian on 30 August 2019. He failed to make a first team appearance and departed the club in September 2020 in search of first team opportunities.

Cowdenbeath
In September 2020, he signed for Scottish League Two side Cowdenbeath. On 28 November 2020, he scored the first senior goal of his career, in a 5–2 defeat away to Elgin City. In February 2021, the club agreed to release Kavanagh with immediate affect to allow him to return home to Ireland as the squad were on furlough and unable to train or play matches due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Scotland. He scored 1 goal in 9 appearances in all competitions during his short spell with the club.

Waterford
On 23 February 2021, Kavanagh signed for League of Ireland Premier Division side Wayerford. On 26 March 2021, he scored his first goal for the club, opening the scoring in a 2–1 defeat against Sligo Rovers. On 18 July 2021, he scored from 25 yards to secure a 1–0 win for his side at home to Sligo Rovers. He scored twice in a 4–1 win over Longford Town at the RSC on 20 August 2021. He would only feature once more that season due to injury however, and his 4 goals in 14 league appearances wasn't enough to help the club avoid relegation to the League of Ireland First Division. He started off the 2022 season off well, scoring 5 goals in 17 games by July, which drew attention from League of Ireland Premier Division clubs.

Derry City
On 29 July 2022, it was announced that Kavanagh had signed for League of Ireland Premier Division side Derry City for an undisclosed fee, on an 18-month deal. On 30 September 2022, he came off the bench away to St Patrick's Athletic to score the winner in an important 1–0 victory for his side. On 13 November 2022, Kavanagh was part of the squad in the 2022 FAI Cup Final, which resulted in a 4–0 win over Shelbourne at the Aviva Stadium, a record Cup Final scoreline margin. On 10 February 2023, he started in the 2023 President of Ireland's Cup, as his side defeated Shamrock Rovers 2–0 at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium to win the trophy. He scored an equaliser in a 2–2 draw away to Dundalk on 16 April 2023 at Oriel Park. On 5 June 2023, he scored a consolation goal in a 4–1 defeat to St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park. His second season with Derry saw him feature in 4 of the 6 games in their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign, playing and scoring both home and away against KuPS of Finland. He also featured in both legs against Tobol of Kazakhstan, against whom he scored in the penalty shootout in the second leg at Tallaght Stadium, as his side were defeated 6–5 on penalties. It was announced in November 2023 that Kavanagh would be let go by the club following the end of his contract after scoring 5 goals in 40 appearances in his time with the club.

St Patrick's Athletic
On 22 November 2023, it was announced that Kavanagh had signed a contract with his first senior club, St Patrick's Athletic. He made his debut for the club on 22 January in a Leinster Senior Cup game away to Usher Celtic and scored a penalty that he won himself less than a minute after coming on as a half time substitute. Kavanagh's first league goal for the club came on 24 May 2024, in a 2–2 draw away to Bohemians at Dalymount Park after he had replaced Ruairí Keating from the bench early on following a concussion he suffered in the first action of the game.

International career
In October 2021, Kavanagh was called up for the Republic of Ireland U21 side for an away game against Montenegro U21.

Honours

 * Derry City
 * FAI Cup (1): 2022
 * President of Ireland's Cup (1): 2023