to sign for Partick Thistle. Although a press conference to announce the signing was arranged at Firhill Stadium, Celtic manager, Liam Brady, hearing he was available, persuaded him to sign for his former club which he did in January 1993. He scored nine goals in 19 league games that season, though Celtic could only manage a third-place finish as Rangers secured their fifth successive title. In 1993–94, McAvennie managed just 11 league appearances, scoring once, as he lost his place in the team following Liam Brady's departure and the appointment of Lou Macari as manager. In February 1994, Macari loaned McAvennie to English Premier League strugglers Swindon Town, and he made just seven league appearances and failed to score as the Robins were relegated in bottom place at the end the 1993–94 season in which they managed only five wins and conceded 100 goals. A highlight of his spell at the County Ground came on 19 March 1994 when he helped the Robins hold league leaders (and eventual double winners) Manchester United to a 2–2 draw. Falkirk and St Mirren He then left Celtic for a second time and signed for Falkirk, newly promoted to the Scottish Premier Division for 1994–95, and scoring twice in three games before dropping down a division and returning to St Mirren on a free transfer on 14 October 1994. He played seven games for St Mirren that season, failing to score, before retiring as a player at the age of 35. In a professional career which had stretched for 15 years, he managed a total of 136 goals in the English and Scottish leagues, combined with many more in the cups and also in Europe for Celtic. International career McAvennie was called into the Scotland national team late 1985 for the World Cup qualifying play-off with Australia at Hampden Park on 20 November. Following a 58th-minute goal by Davie Cooper, McAvennie scored in the 60th minute on what was his international debut. The game finished 2–0 to Scotland. In the return leg in Melbourne on 4 December 1985, which was McAvennie's 2nd international appearance, the game finished 0-0 resulting in Scotland qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Having travelled with Scotland to Australia he returned to the UK and only three days later scored the only goal for West Ham in a 1–0 win at Loftus Road against Queens Park Rangers. He was