But the young striker believes his time at Valley Parade has passed quickly.
“Honestly, it's frustrating being here for almost a year,” admitted the player, who was hired on deadline day from last winter's slot. “Honestly, it feels like three months.
“I joined on February 1st and I have really enjoyed my time here. It has been a roller coaster of ups and downs and I have to grow as a person.
“I know the expectations and pressure here can be high at times, but it’s just a matter of controlling it.”
Kavanagh made an immediate impression with five goals in the second half of last season, cementing his place up front alongside Andy Cook.
However, he found the situation much tougher at the start of this season and was unable to get back on track until the FA Cup in early November.
Graham Alexander felt the 21-year-old was “doing the wrong thing and ignoring the fundamentals” and sacked him for a while.
As a lesson learned, Kavanagh is happy to be back in action – playing in the middle of the front three as City deal with the huge blow of Cook's absence.
Kavanagh added: “If you give your all every day on the pitch in training and matches, you'll be able to look in the mirror and say, 'Look, I wasn't good enough today,' or maybe I just didn't do a good job. day.
“If I don't do that, maybe I'll feel a little bit more down about myself. I know I'm trying my best every day and I always want to give my best for the club.
“There are high expectations and some criticism, but that's part of football.
“I'm a young man who obviously wants to do well and Bradford will give me the platform to progress my career and hopefully take his club to where we all want it to be. I'm really enjoying my time here and I hope I can continue this season and move on.”
No one analyzes his performance better than Kavanaugh himself. He reviews all the footage and data from every game.
“Honestly, I'm hooked. I literally finish the game and check my phone at 6:30 to see the clips.
“When I wake up on Sunday morning, the first thing I do is watch my clips again. Sometimes it’s good to take a breather.
“But I can't help it because I want to do well, I want to be successful and I have a hungry spirit. That's who I am as a player, so I don't want to take that away from me.
“It's your lifestyle, it's your job and you have to take pride in it. It hurts if you don't win or don't do well.
“Sometimes I might be overthinking, I don't know, but it's part of me, part of who I am.”
And he can also rely heavily on his father Graham, a former Republic of Ireland international, former player and manager of today's opponents Carlisle.
“If you think it's my fault, you should meet him,” Kavanagh said. “The amount of conversations we have is just incredible. He's been an incredible asset to me and I wouldn't be where I am today without him and the knowledge and advice he's given me. It wouldn't have existed.”
But it can be a tough love affair. Kavanagh senior has exacting standards for his son – the City forward recalled after midweek's game against Aston Villa Under-21s.
“I scored a goal and we won and he said, ‘We could have had another shot.’ That’s the first thing he says.
“It wasn't good, but I think I could have had one more shot.'' I don't think anyone could be as strict with me as my father.
“Even when I scored twice against Stockport. “I scored two goals but I could have scored a hat-trick''!
“You always want more and I think that’s the type of person and player he was, and he probably instilled that in me.
“People always want more, but you always have to want more. You can’t just sit back and think that what I have is enough.
“You have to keep moving forward. I learned a lot from him and I'm forever grateful for the support he gave me.
“He's been through a lot in football and he tries to tell me as much as he can. A lot of things help. He's played the game and knows where he's at and where he is. It's great to have someone like a father who understands how you feel.”
City's front line without Kavanagh and the man who has been their top scorer since 2021 will likely receive even more attention. But if there's any additional pressure, he doesn't feel it.
“I don't see myself as more responsible,” he said. “Every game I think I have to do everything I can to help this team and focus on my role, so the team has a better chance of doing well. ”
“Andy has been sent off, but I don't feel like I have a big responsibility right now because I'm not Andy Cooke. It's important that I know that, and people know that as well. .
“I think I bring something different than what Andy does. I don't think I need to be Andy Cook, because I'm not Andy Cook.”
