Frank McAvennie
Frank McAvennie - Former West Ham, Celtic and Scotland player
Frank McAvennie Summary
Frank McAvennie (born 25/11/1959, Lanark) is a Scottish former striker. He joined St. Mirren in 1980 where he remained for five years before being signed to West Ham where he formed an outstanding partnership with young English striker Tony Cottee. In his first season he helped West Ham to their highest ever final position in English football, coming third. He scored 26 goals, making him the second highest goalscorer in the league. That West Ham team became known as The Boys of 86. McAvennie moved to Celtic in October 1987 where he helped them win the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup double. The Cup Final was particularly memorable for McAvennie as he scored two late goals to beat Dundee United 2-1. McAvennie returned to West Ham United in March 1989 in a £1.2million deal, making him their record signing. He then spent a short time at Aston Villa before returning to Celtic in 1992. He then moved to Scottish clubs Falkirk and St. Mirren during 1994 before retiring at 35. McAvennie was called into the Scotland national team in December 1985 for the World Cup qualifying play-off with Australia. He scored on his debut in a 2-0 win and was subsequently called up for the 1986 World Cup. Known for his playboy lifestyle, he was loved by the fans of all the clubs he played for. More recently, he has been parodied regularly on the BBC's football comedy programme Only An Excuse and has a place on football show Soccer AM.
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