Newport County 1912-1989
Tangerine Tommy
Amber Notes
This appeared in The Exile County's award winning programme on 30/8/08.
TANGERINE TOMMY 
By Ade Williams
Many of us still fondly remember the long-haired scallywag that adorned our programme cover at the turn of the 1970s. Now perceived as something of a cult-figure, ‘Tangerine Tommy’ is currently enjoying a second-coming; thanks to Chris Shingler’s delightful collector-orientated website, that is swiftly becoming a favourite amongst the Newport County delights offered by way of the internet.
Dedicated in its entirety to the personal collections and memories of County supporters - both young and old - this particular trip down Memory Lane will have many a football disciple with an interest in the programmes and memorabilia of NCAFC in true nostalgic heaven. A tantalizing hoard of individual sections that feature an eclectic range of County souvenirs of yesteryear, from match tickets, photographs and trade cards, to other novelties such as newspaper clippings and pennants. For those of us with an unhealthy interest in Newport football regalia, it is quite simply manna from heaven.
There are many of us that take great pride in amassing our own personal treasure collections of artifacts involving both AFC the old Ironsides, and Chris’ "labour of love" details this obsession of ours in all its glory, with some quality contributions from serious collectors such as the man himself, Duncan Jardine, John Phillips, along with yours truly.
The site also boasts a contribution from former club photographer, Jan Preece, who covered the County matches from the troublesome 1970s, right up until the old club’s golden era. Pride of place is surely the programme section, where internet viewers can not only pore over some of the club’s biggest match publications, but also those that are amongst the scarcest Newport County issues.
Another fascinating slant to this intriguing website is the inclusion of supporters’ comments and personal memories; particularly amusing are the numerous recollections of our much maligned, yet sorely-missed Somerton Park. One or two of those are guaranteed to raise an amused chuckle or two. Also featured in the programme section are our ‘gone-but-never-forgotten’ neighbours, Lovell’s Athletic.
Chris [Pictured right at our recent Open Day - alongside his sidekick, fellow County die-hard Kevyn Witchard] 
has been a faithful follower of County since those early Seventies and last year spotted a gap amongst the Newport County fodder that the World Wide Web had to offer; subsequently filling that gap with great aplomb, providing something completely different to the norm. Chris, a keen NCAFC collector for many years, is keen to point out that it is strictly "a site by the fans, for the fans." Anybody wishing to visit the website can do so at …
http://tangerinetommy.webs.com/index.htm
Chris would like it mentioned that any of our supporters wishing to climb on board and contribute will be most welcome and should get in touch with him at the following email address …
As well as the official club website, an award-winner that is superbly marshalled and run by our own Colin Jeremiah, two other sites well worthy of a mention are the photographic sites of Chris’ lad Sam, and County-Jon’s mix of the past and present, which also offers collectors glimpses of souvenirs and collectibles from seasons long gone. Both lads are regular photographers at our matches, supplying supporters with terrific up-to-date match visuals, with Sam officially recognized by the club as our regular matchday snapper, alongside Colin Jeremiah. Sam Shingler’s excellent match-day photography can be accessed at …
