[5] Bannon repaid Ormond's faith in him by scoring thirteen goals in the Scottish First Division, including a hat-trick against Kilmarnock in December 1977.
[8] Although initially selected by Hurst, Bannon gradually slipped down the order at Chelsea and was sold in October 1979 to Dundee United for £165,000.
[9] The following season saw Bannon miss only two of Dundee United's 36 league fixtures, with him scoring eight goals, including a double in a 4–1 win over Rangers at Ibrox.
[7] He also helped United reach the 1981 Scottish Cup Final, again playing in every match and scoring against Celtic in a 3–2 win in the semi-final.
[7][12][13] Season 1982–83 saw Dundee United involved in a tight contest with Celtic and Aberdeen for the Scottish Premier Division title.
United took the lead in the first half when Celtic defender Roy Aitken mis-headered a Bannon corner, allowing Paul Hegarty to score.
Celtic equalised before half-time but Bannon converted a penalty kick early in the second half to restore United's lead.
[24][25] Bannon returned to Hearts in the summer of 1994 for a season as assistant manager under Tommy McLean,[23][26] before a final playing spell with Stenhousemuir.
Now playing as a defender, Bannon helped them win the 1995 Scottish Challenge Cup Final at McDiarmid Park, as they defeated his old club Dundee United on a penalty shootout.
[9] Bannon began his international career in 1978, making his début for the Scotland under-21 team on 17 September at Pittodrie Stadium in a friendly against the USA.
[2][30] Bannon made his full international début for Scotland on 19 December 1979 in a European Championship qualifier against Belgium at Hampden Park.
Bannon played in the first half, but was replaced at half-time by Davie Provan as Belgium eased to a comfortable 3–1 win.
[31][32][33] He didn't feature again for Scotland until getting a recall for the 1983 British Home Championship tie against Northern Ireland at Hampden on 24 May 1983.
[31] In January 1986, with Scotland making preparations for the World Cup in Mexico, Bannon's form at club level saw him selected by Alex Ferguson for his 21-man squad travelling to play Israel for a friendly in Tel Aviv.
Bannon was accompanied by four of his Dundee United teammates; Richard Gough, Maurice Malpas, David Narey and Paul Sturrock.
[31] It was in this game he had an outstanding shot from the edge of the box, forcing an excellent save by German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher.