How This Swiss Star went from Lifting the Liechtensteiner Cup to Lighting up League Two

How This Swiss Star went from Lifting the Liechtensteiner Cup to Lighting up League Two

After a slow start to life back in League Two, it’s currently all smiles in the South-West, as Bristol Rovers extended their unbeaten run to 8 games in all competitions. Their win against high flying Salford moved them up to 7th in the table and within 5 points off the top.

But one player, unbeknownst to all Rovers supporters just two months ago, is establishing himself as an early season fan favourite, thanks to his recent goal scoring prowess.

Time For a Rovers Rebuild

Following a dismal season for the Gas last campaign, which saw them relegated to the fourth-tier, spirits needed lifting with a positive transfer window over the summer.

The rebuild began with the appointment of Darrell Clarke as manager, taking charge in his second spell with the club. He was quick to start bolstering the squad ready for the start of the season, bringing in a mixture of experience and high potential players from fellow EFL clubs.

With the fourteen new faces that entered the fray, there was only one player joining the side from a non-English club. Up stepped Fabrizio Cavegn, who signed for an undisclosed fee (via BBC) from Swiss second-tier side FC Vaduz at the beginning of August.

✍️ Bristol Rovers confirm the signing of Swiss striker Fabrizio Cavegn from FC Vaduz - subject to international clearance.

💬 Darrell Clarke: “Fabrizio will bring versatility, pace, and precision to our front line…”

📷 Bristol Rovers FC pic.twitter.com/NzNgzvqQ8J

— BBC Sport Bristol (@bbcbristolsport) August 1, 2025

Fabrizio's Journey to the EFL

Rovers' number 29 was born in the municipality town of Ilanz/Glion in Switzerland, where he had played all of his senior football before making the switch to England. His youth career at club level began at Team Südostschweiz U18 (Southeastern Switzerland). After just one season with the club, he moved to fifth-tier side Chur 97, contributing three goals in twelve appearances.

It was then St. Gallen from the Pro League who saw the youngsters talent, and helped him grow with the reserves, where he would spend two seasons before making the step up to the first team. With no goals in four appearances, a drop down to the Swiss second division with FC Vaduz would allow Cavegn to get regular first-team football in 2023.

Fabrizio Cavegn verlängert vorzeitig 🔴⚪️

Wir vermelden die vorzeitige Vertragsverlängerung mit Stürmer Fabrizio Cavegn. Der 21-jährige Bündner verlängert seinen bis Sommer 2025 datierten Vertrag um ein weiteres Jahr bis 2026.

Weitere Infos unter: https://t.co/Ar75lTPh0S pic.twitter.com/aeE55sqk3V

— FC Vaduz (@VaduzFC) January 9, 2024

Whilst with the side situated in Liechtenstein, Cavegn would play an integral part on their way to lifting successive Liechtensteiner Cups, while he also made a total of five appearances in Europa Conference League qualifiers during his two-year spell.

He started every league game for FC Vaduz, scoring 12 goals in his debut season and 13 in the latter, and before long he had caught the eye of the Bristol Rovers board. Still only 23 years old, the versatile forward has much more to learn but has already taken to life with ease down at the Mem.

Three is the Magic Number

After a slow start to his Rovers career, Cavegn struggled to nail down a starting spot under Darrell Clarke. His breakthrough came in the EFL trophy victory against Tottenham U21's. Coming off the bench to score a second-half brace, helped his side comeback and earn a 4-4 draw, before dispatching his penalty in the shootout, going on to win the game.

Two goals and a penalty scored for Cavegn! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/P8PFzB1LzB

— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) August 26, 2025

Whilst his cameo appearance didn't earn him just a second league start in the following game, Cavegn made it into the starting side away at Newport the next week. He registered an assist and was unlucky not to score himself, hitting the post. The young forward caused real problems for the Welsh side with his clever runs in behind.

It quickly became clear that playing up front in a two really suited Cavegn, as he was used to this during his time in Swiss football. A prime example was against Barrow, as Omochere headed the ball down from the cross to the onrushing Cavegn to score his first league goal.

Short in stature, Cavegn benefits from a more physical forward alongside him, who can win knockdowns that the speedy Swiss international can latch onto. He scored a second league goal in successive games against Colchester with a clinical left-footed strike.

Despite Omochere picking up an injury, that hasn't stopped Cavegn from flourishing with his new striking partner, Ellis Harrison. After a third goal in as many appearances in the win against third-place Salford, the striker spoke about their partnership on Bristol Rovers' YouTube channel. He said, 'He is the stronger man, and he can hit the ball with his head and be behind the last lines, and then, there I am, and it is my goal to reach the last line, and there we have a good combination.'

A confident finish from a forward in form! 🙌

— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) September 28, 2025

Cavegn the Striking Gem

It looks like Bristol Rovers have hit the jackpot with their new man. Now that Cavegn has settled into life in League Two, he has started to show the superb talent that he possesses at this level. There is still more development needed for his game, as sometimes his decision-making is poor, but he is still adjusting to his new teammates and the manager's way of playing.

Looking in the foreign market to find rising talent is not as straightforwardas England's more illustrious clubs make it seem, especially in League Two, with the Governing Body Endorsement criteria to follow and how that affects players' work permits in line with Brexit. The Gas could sign a maximum of two non-English players from overseas in the summer window.

Fabrizio Cavegn. Our Swiss striker 🇨🇭 #UTG ⛽️ | #BristolRovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ZuOcyGD3ki

— Joshua Hemmings (@_joshuahemmings) September 27, 2025

Director of Football Ricky Martin labelled Fabrizio's move as 'really exciting' when speaking to BBC Radio Bristol. He added, 'We’ve brought Fabrizio in, and we’ve got one more spot. I would actively like to fill that. If it’s not in the January window, it will be next summer. I want to fill that as quickly as we can and hopefully Fabrizio will help us demonstrate why it’s worth looking outside of England and looking further afield.'

Cavegn has certainly repaid the faith shown in him so far by the Rovers hierarchy. He'll be hoping to gain his side promotion straight back to the third tier, as they face a tough test on Saturday away at table toppers Walsall.