<<< back to page 1 <<<
Tommy Johnston
By Ade Williams
Died peacefully on September 4 2008 at his home in Australia, aged 81. Scottish lad Tommy was an extraordinary centre-forward of considerable repute, quite simply a goal machine. Born in Loanhead on 18 August, 1927, Johnston boasted a proud record of 46 League goals in just 63 matches during his stint with County, not to mention his rattling home of an additional six goals during a Somerton Park friendly against an All-Star XI in May, 1955; an astonishing feat that was featured at length here in a previous article. Such impressive goal-scoring statistics were not exclusive to his time wearing the sacred amber cloth either, Tommy scored prolifically for all eight of his professional clubs; including two stints with Leyton Orient that quite rightly earned him legendary status in London’s notorious East End. In 1999, Tommy was voted Orient’s greatest-ever player, gaining over a fith of the entire vote in a poll amongst supporters, so revered was he that the O’s now plan to name their new South Stand at Brisbane Road in his honour. Older Newport supporters have even suggested that despite just two seasons with the Ironsides, he is a more than worthy contender to the crown of Newport County’s greatest striker. He began his career combining his job as a miner with playing local junior football for Loanhead Mayflower and Peeble Rovers, terrorizing defences before progressing into the senior game with Kilmarnock in 1949, scoring 19 goals in just 25 appearances with Killie. A move south of the border to Darlington two years later was to prove the leanest period of his career, despite Tommy still managing to nab nine goals in 27 games. It was lean by Tommy’s incredible standards! A brief loan period with Oldham Athletic provided a further three goals to his name in five matches during 1952, shortly before a move to Norwich City. Bustling Tommy hit 28 goals in 60 appearances for the East Anglian club, including inspiring the Canaries to a famous cup victory over Arsenal before strangely falling out of favour at Carrow Road; prompting the ever-wily Billy Lucas to steam in and whisk him away to Somerton Park for a ridiculously cheap transfer fee of £1,800. Prolifically plundering goals as he was, Johnston was to become incredibly hot property under Lucas and like so many both before and after him, hard-up County were simply unable to hold onto a wonderful asset that would have undoubtedly shattered all our goal-scoring records. He left for Leyton Orient in 1956, shortly after netting a hat-trick against them and proceeded to hit a truly remarkable 70 League goals in 87 games, absolutely astonishing stats that would have made him worth a fortune in this day and age. It was enough to earn a big move to Blackburn Rovers in 1958 and as always, Tommy found the onion bag at Ewood Park with comparative ease, notching 22 goals in only 36 League matches. Despite his success at Blackburn, it was an unhappy period for Johnston and he was delighted to be given the opportunity to return to his beloved Orient after just a solitary year away. It was immediately business as usual back at Brisbane Road for Tommy, who in his second stint with the O’s, racked up another 51 goals in 93 appearances; before calling time on his impressive career at Gillingham in 1961, bowing out with ten goals in his 35 games at the Priestfield Stadium. Goal machine Tommy would forever be remembered not only for his uncanny knack of finding the net with such rampant ease, but also for the distinctive bandage that he always wore on his left arm; this the result of a mining accident that had unfortunately left his arm withered. An affable and quiet chap away from the game, his fascinating life story was published in 2004 with an interesting autobiography aptly named ‘The Happy Wanderer’, still available from Breedon Books for only a smidgen over a tenner. Just what might Newport County AFC have gone on to achieve had they been able to hold onto this remarkable predator? The terms "great" and "legend" are perhaps bandied about far too easily these days, but prolific Tommy truly was a worthy recipient of both endearing descriptions. RIP Thomas Bourhill Johnston. ********************************
Jackie Swindells
Jackie was a striker, who had been capped at England Schools level and began his career with his home town club Manchester City and made 167 League appearances for Blackburn, Accrington Stanley, Barnsley, Workington and Torquay, scoring a respectable 62 goals before joining County in July 1964.
Jackie added a further 6 goals in 28 appearances for County despite sometimes appearing in midfield, but unfortunately in March 1965 took the difficult decision to seek to cancel his contract by mutual consent, as he needed to return to Manchester to look after his father who was ill. Putting his family first was understandable, but what may have he offered us the following season had he stayed? Then 28 years old, Jackie instead joined Altrincham and became one of their greatest ever players, scoring an astonishing 82 goals in 63 games in 1965/66, including 6 hat-tricks! Indeed Jackie went on to score a phenomenal 195 goals in 229 league appearances for Altrincham and 265 in 322 in all competitions!
It would be too easy to put this exceptional increase in his scoring rate to dropping down to non–league football. So what made the difference to his sharp-shooting? Jackie himself put it down to his short time at Somerton Park and a bit of sharp advice from ex County player and famous former Welsh International Trevor Ford. As Jackie explained; “I remember playing for Newport County against Wrexham, and my strike partner Kenny Morgans had already scored two goals. I played a one-two with him and found myself in a one-on-one with the keeper. I took the ball round him and had all the time in the world to knock it into the empty net. Honestly, I could have got down on my hands and knees and headed it over the line. But as I was about to draw my foot back, I heard Kenny shout: ‘I'm on a hat-trick, Jack - square it’. I did, and, of course, he had a simple tap-in to round off a 3-1 win. Afterwards, Trevor, who had been watching the game, came over and asked me what on earth I thought I was doing. I tried to explain that it was a team game, but he wasn't having it! He said: ‘Have a look at the paper in the morning, and, next to the result, it will say Morgans (3). You won't get a mention. You had an open goal, and you should have stuck it in the back of the net!’
“That stayed with me, and when Freddie Pye signed me for Alty and discussed where I was going to play, I told him I would be up front, knocking in the goals. From then on, if I heard anyone shouting for the ball anywhere near goal, I remembered what Trevor told me and ignored them! Any chances in and around the area, and I had only one thought in mind. It stood me in good stead, so perhaps I should be grateful to Trevor for those few harsh words."
**************************************************
Sam Prangley
Sam might have only made 7 first team appearances, but he was able to lay claim though that few could ever make – he played for County in their single season in the old 2nd Division. Sam had been brought up near Somerton Park and went to a school famous for its football production line.
“I went to Corporation Road School, the same as Billy Bagley before me did, who played for County and Portsmouth, Billy Lucas and later ‘Polly’ Rowland. I was a keen cricketer and played rugby at school, but I signed for Cardiff City during the War.”
That was in 1942 but Sam didn’t stay there long, instead joining famous local Southern League side Lovell’s Athletic, where he spent a few successful and extremely enjoyable seasons. “We won everything in those days. We had some top guest players as well mind, because of the war, like Billy Lucas and Doug Witcomb – both Internationals.” It was Lucas’ father who took Sam from Rexville to Somerton Park. “Billy’s father, George Groves – we usNewcastle away on the 5th October and whilst County had already conceded 22 goals in that first month, no one could have predicted the score line that day at St James’ Park – a 13-0 defeat! Fortunately Sam was not playing and when I last visited him he and wife Olive were still laughing at the memory of going to meet his close friend, goalkeeper Charlie Turner, at Newport station as they returned shame faced and crestfallen.
Sam added, “We would always joke with him about that Newcastle game – they had such a pasting! He would say, ‘it was ok for you lot out there – what about me!’ And then he would say, ‘I didn’t mind their players, it was the buggers behind the goal I didn’t like – especially the policeman who kept laughing every time I let one in!”
Oddly enough, sports mad Sam had not been as thrilled about the opportunity to play League football for his local club as you may have expected! “I wasn’t particularly excited about signing for County. I was courting and had other things to do! Olive and I got married in 1947. I loved it at Lovell’s. Everything was done for us there. They were only Southern League but were much better organised than County. I wouldn’t say that my first impressions of County, therefore, were good! It was raggedy-tag training and your kit would be there today, but tomorrow you wouldn’t know where it was! It wasn’t bad when I settled in, but I wanted to go back to Lovell’s, but their Manager told me, ‘you stay where you are Sam and come back next year.’ My biggest problem was not knowing whether I would be playing or not.”
Sam had to wait until the game at Plymouth on 2nd November, to make his debut in a 4-1 defeat, but he kept his place for the next five games which saw further defeats (3-1 at home to Leicester and 2-0 at Chesterfield) before he was on the winning side at home to Millwall (3-1). Normal service was then resumed with a 2-1 loss at Bradford Park Avenue. Sam missed the next home game against Manchester City, returning for an exciting 4-3 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday and then was again left out, this time for two games against Fulham, before making his final first team appearance in a 5-1 mauling at Southampton in front of just under 18,000. It was the latter game that Sam recalls best.
“Of all the games I played, this is the one I really remember and that was all because of one man – their winger Don Roper who the next season joined Arsenal. He ran rings around us and gave our full back, poor old George Oldham, a terrible time. Ray Wilcox at first was a left winger and he used to say to me, ‘you should be in the team not me. I noticed the step up in standard but as I say things weren’t as well organised as at Lovell’s. Because it was just after the War we either had a lot of players who were past it or a lot of inexperienced boys and it was difficult playing in a losing side. I left and went back to Lovell’s for a bit but was posted to an RAF base near Leeds. I played two games for Ipswich when I was there, but the travelling was too much and then I had a season at Hereford before I had a couple at Ebbw Vale, which was very good as we had a quite a few ex League players and were very successful.ed to call him ‘Poppa - was a Scout for County and he asked me to go there after seeing me play for Lovell’s.”
The move to Somerton came in October 1946, with County having won only one and drawn one of their first six games in September. The first game after signing was
Newcastle away on the 5th October and whilst County had already conceded 22 goals in that first month, no one could have predicted the score line that day at St James’ Park – a 13-0 defeat! Fortunately Sam was not playing and when I last visited him he and wife Olive were still laughing at the memory of going to meet his close friend, goalkeeper Charlie Turner, at Newport station as they returned shame faced and crestfallen.
Sam added, “We would always joke with him about that Newcastle game – they had such a pasting! He would say, ‘it was ok for you lot out there – what about me!’ And then he would say, ‘I didn’t mind their players, it was the buggers behind the goal I didn’t like – especially the policeman who kept laughing every time I let one in!”
Oddly enough, sports mad Sam had not been as thrilled about the opportunity to play League football for his local club as you may have expected! “I wasn’t particularly excited about signing for County. I was courting and had other things to do! Olive and I got married in 1947. I loved it at Lovell’s. Everything was done for us there. They were only Southern League but were much better organised than County. I wouldn’t say that my first impressions of County, therefore, were good! It was raggedy-tag training and your kit would be there today, but tomorrow you wouldn’t know where it was! It wasn’t bad when I settled in, but I wanted to go back to Lovell’s, but their Manager told me, ‘you stay where you are Sam and come back next year.’ My biggest problem was not knowing whether I would be playing or not.”
Sam had to wait until the game at Plymouth on 2nd November, to make his debut in a 4-1 defeat, but he kept his place for the next five games which saw further defeats (3-1 at home to Leicester and 2-0 at Chesterfield) before he was on the winning side at home to Millwall (3-1). Normal service was then resumed with a 2-1 loss at Bradford Park Avenue. Sam missed the next home game against Manchester City, returning for an exciting 4-3 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday and then was again left out, this time for two games against Fulham, before making his final first team appearance in a 5-1 mauling at Southampton in front of just under 18,000. It was the latter game that Sam recalls best.
“Of all the games I played, this is the one I really remember and that was all because of one man – their winger Don Roper who the next season joined Arsenal. He ran rings around us and gave our full back, poor old George Oldham, a terrible time. Ray Wilcox at first was a left winger and he used to say to me, ‘you should be in the team not me. I noticed the step up in standard but as I say things weren’t as well organised as at Lovell’s. Because it was just after the War we either had a lot of players who were past it or a lot of inexperienced boys and it was difficult playing in a losing side. I left and went back to Lovell’s for a bit but was posted to an RAF base near Leeds. I played two games for Ipswich when I was there, but the travelling was too much and then I had a season at Hereford before I had a couple at Ebbw Vale, which was very good as we had a quite a few ex League players and were very successful.
©Andrew Taylor/Ade Williams 2009.
Not to be reproduced without permission please see page 1 for details
