Gary Sprake
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Gareth Sprake (3 April 1945 – 18 October 2016) was a Welsh professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
. A
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
, he played for
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
and also won 37 caps for
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Sprake was a good goalkeeper who made occasional high-profile mistakes. He was especially known for his ability to come out to catch crossed balls floating into the box and his shot stopping. At Leeds, Sprake played 504 times, keeping more than 200 clean sheets. He spent more than a decade at Leeds, much of it as number-one choice, during a period when the club was a dominant side in domestic and European football.


Club career

Sprake represented Swansea Schoolboys and was noticed by
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
soon after he left school and was playing for a local works team. Sprake joined Leeds as an apprentice and made a last-minute debut in 1962 when the regular goalkeeper went down with a stomach complaint on the day of a game at
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
. Over the next two seasons Sprake became a regular as Leeds won the
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
in 1964 and then challenged for the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
championship title and
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
double the following year. Sprake only missed one game in both competitions that season, but Leeds ended with nothing. At Leeds, he was also known to be sick before each match but managed to play regularly and keep the starting goalkeeper position. The first of Sprake's two major errors came in 1967 when Leeds played Liverpool in a League game at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
. Sprake was holding the ball and was set to throw it to left back Terry Cooper, only to curtail his throw when he spotted Liverpool winger
Ian Callaghan Ian Robert Callaghan (born 10 April 1942) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He holds the record for most appearances for Liverpool. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in th ...
running towards the area he planned to throw the ball. Unfortunately for Sprake, the ball slipped out of his hands behind him and ended up in the net. At half-time, the Liverpool tannoy-announcer played " Careless Hands", a record by
Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with '' The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years as we ...
, apparently in reference to Sprake's mistake, and during the second half Liverpool supporters on the Kop sang the song repeatedly to Sprake. Fans of rival clubs gave Sprake the nickname "Careless Hands" as a result. In the same season Sprake kept a clean sheet as Leeds beat
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the League Cup final. He was also in goals when Leeds won the
Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, most commonly referred to as the Fairs Cup and sometimes as the European Fairs Cup or Fairs Cities' Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The Fairs Cup was the idea of FIFA vice-presid ...
, the club's first European honour. In 1969, Sprake was again a regular as Leeds won the League championship for the first time, with a new points record. In the 1970 FA Cup Final, Leeds were playing Chelsea and took an early lead through
Jack Charlton John Charlton (8 May 193510 July 2020) was an English professional Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager who played as a Defender (association football), centre-back for Leeds. He was part of the England ...
. Chelsea chased an equaliser, but when attacking midfield player
Peter Houseman Peter Houseman (24 December 1945 – 20 March 1977) was an English footballer who played as a winger. He was best known for his part in Chelsea's FA Cup-winning side of 1970. He later signed for Oxford United. He was killed along with his wife ...
hit a left foot shot shortly before the break, it seemed tame and directionless enough for Sprake to save it safely. He dived full length to save it but it squirmed through his grasp and rolled into the net. At the time, the Wembley surface was in poor condition, with the stadium having hosted the
Horse of the Year Show The Horse of the Year Show - also known as HOYS (pronounced /hois/)- was founded to be a culmination of the British equestrian events year. The Show was the idea of Captain Tony Collings and was realised by the then Chairman of BSJA (now Britis ...
days earlier and having much of the grass turned into hard turf lumps as a result, as well as the presence of a vast covering of sand. In the second half, Mick Jones put Leeds ahead with just six minutes to go, but Chelsea again equalised. Sprake suffered a knee injury and was replaced by
David Harvey David William Harvey (born 31 October 1935) is a British-American academic best known for Marxist analyses that focus on urban geography as well as the economy more broadly. He is a Distinguished Professor of anthropology and geography at t ...
in the replay, which Chelsea won 2–1. Sprake was still the first-choice keeper for Leeds in the following two seasons, but was replaced by Harvey at the tail of both, including the 1972 FA Cup Final. Sprake watched from the sidelines as Leeds defeated Arsenal 1–0. In the same year, due to his need of first-team football, Sprake publicly criticised Revie for his treatment of him and so his relationship with his manager, teammates and the Leeds supporters soured. He only played once in the 1972–73 season, missed a second FA Cup Final and the Cup Winners' Cup final and left Leeds at the end of that season. He signed for
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
for £100,000 (breaking the world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper in the process) to play first-team football and attempt to regain his place in the Welsh team.


International career

Sprake was the youngest-ever goalkeeper to appear for Wales when he made his international debut as an 18-year-old against
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
on 20 November 1963. Sprake won 37 caps for
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
between 1963 and 1974.


Retirement

A back injury brought Sprake's career to an end at the age of 30, the injury resulting from a near fatal
blood clot A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...
in his back which forced him to undergo
spinal fusion Spinal fusion, also called spondylodesis or spondylosyndesis, is a surgery performed by Orthopedic surgery#Practice, orthopaedic surgeons or neurosurgeons that joins two or more vertebrae. This procedure can be performed at any level in the spine ...
surgery. His back problems were largely blamed on regular injections of
cortisone Cortisone is a pregnene (21-carbon) steroid hormone. It is a naturally-occurring corticosteroid metabolite that is also used as a pharmaceutical prodrug. Cortisol is converted by the action of the enzyme corticosteroid 11-beta-dehydrogenase ...
he was given during his early career at Leeds. After retiring, he underwent seven operations on his back. Sprake worked as a salesman for a short period before becoming a borough council training officer in
Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...
, where he remained for over 14 years. His biography, ''Careless Hands: The Forgotten Truth of Gary Sprake'' by Tim Johnson and Stuart Sprake (his nephew), was published in 2006. In November 2009, he was given an award by the
Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; ) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, its Wales women's national football team, correspo ...
for his contribution to Welsh football during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, Sprake was paid a substantial fee by the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' to make allegations against former Leeds manager Don Revie and club captain
Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who played for Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Hull City A.F.C., Hull City, and the Scotland national football team, Scot ...
regarding match-fixing, though no charges ever arose from his accusations. Allegations centred on the match between
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
and Leeds at Molineux on 8 May 1972. It was the final match of the 1971–72 season and Leeds needed one point to win the league title. They lost 2–1 and the title went to
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
. The paper alleged that Revie and Bremner had tried to bribe Danny Hegan, a Wolves player, before the match. In 1982, Bremner sued for libel in the High Court and was awarded damages of £100,000. Among witnesses who supported Bremner was Wolves'
Derek Dougan Alexander Derek Dougan (20 January 1938 – 24 June 2007) was a Northern Ireland international footballer, football manager, football chairman, pundit, and writer. He was also known by his nickname, "The Doog". He was capped by Northern I ...
, who asserted that he "never heard any Leeds player, or anyone else connected with them, offer bribes". Sprake, who said in court that he "couldn't remember" Bremner offering a bribe, later claimed that the ''Mirror'' paid him £7,500. Paul Harrison, one of Bremner's biographers writing in 2010, remembered Sprake as a rude and arrogant individual whose attitude was in sharp contrast to the friendliness and approachability of Revie, Bremner, and many other Leeds players. Harrison quoted Bremner saying of Sprake that he should have "tried harder" and "concentrated more" on improving his game because, "instead of believing he was the best, he would then have made a decent keeper".Harrison, p. 196. Bremner made it clear that he had little respect for Sprake because of "things he has done in his life", and pointed out that, among professional footballers, Sprake was "not one of the wisest or most respected". Bremner acknowledged that Sprake was capable of pulling off some "unbelievable" saves, before adding that this was "as positive as I can get about the man". Bremner went on to say what he thought about twelve other Leeds players and, in every case, his comments were very positive. Comparing Sprake with David Harvey, Bremner said Harvey was the better goalkeeper because he was reliable.Harrison, p. 199. Sprake died at the age of 71 on 18 October 2016.


Honours

Leeds United *
Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
: 1968–69 *
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
: 1963–64 *
Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
: 1967–68 *
FA Charity Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier ...
:
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
*
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, most commonly referred to as the Fairs Cup and sometimes as the European Fairs Cup or Fairs Cities' Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The Fairs Cup was the idea of FIFA vice-presid ...
: 1967–68, 1970–71 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
runner-up: 1964–65


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sprake, Gary 1945 births 2016 deaths Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Wales men's under-23 international footballers Footballers from Swansea Leeds United F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Men's association football goalkeepers English Football League players