Tony Cottee Recounts Nightclub Encounter Illustrating Frank McAvennie’s Late Nights

Tony Cottee, who played as a forward for West Ham alongside Frank McAvennie in the 1980s, stated that his fellow striker was known for staying out late. During the latest installment of BBC Radio Scotland’s Sacked in the Morning podcast, Cottee recounted an occasion where his own approach to an evening out contrasted sharply with McAvennie’s. “I can tell you one funny story,” he said. “I didn’t really go out, but for whatever reason, [one night] in the 1985-86 season, I decided to go out with my best pal who played for Leyton Orient and we went into London. We ended up in Stringfellows, which was a nightclub in those days, not the lap dancing club it is nowadays.” “I’m in the nightclub and I’ve had a few drinks. It gets to about half past one in the morning and by this time, I’m sort of half drunk and I’m tired and I want to go home. So, me and my mate thought we’d make our way upstairs as we were in the basement.” “We got to the middle floor and on the middle floor, where reception is, I bumped into Frank McAvennie and I give him a big cuddle. The paps were taking pictures of Frank and all that sort of stuff.” “I looked at Frank and I said: ‘Have you had a good night?’ He went: ‘Good night? I’ve just got here’. “Cottee noted that he was departing while McAvennie had only just arrived at 1:30 AM, adding, “That perfectly summed it up.”