RIP Gray Sprake

Those old enough and with still functioning memories will remember him chucking one in his own net in a true comedy goalkeeping moment. Brilliant on his day but prone to some absolute howlers.

....although wasn't it.... the teenage Gary Sprake.... who made his debut for Leeds at The Dell and played a blinder when they beat us ?

This is sad news. I earn a living in publishing and about ten years ago I worked on his authorised biography 'Careless Hands: The Forgotten Truth of Gary Sprake'. It's a formidable defence of his reputation against accusations of his being error-prone. The author asserts that he was actually a superb goalkeeper, but was unfortunate enough to make mistakes when playing in a few televised matches at a time when hardly any football was broadcast. This has led to the incorrect impression that he was habitually letting his team down. Across a 500+ game career he was no more or no less error-prone than any other goalkeeper. It's an interesting book, and he turned up at our offices when the book came out to sign a few. He was a pleasant, friendly guy, and he deserves a lot of posthumous respect.

I believe he did. By the time I saw my first game at the Dell against Leeds in October 1963 he was a fixture in the team. Went on to play the best part of 400 games for a dominant Leeds under Revie a team which didn't have weak links. He was a good keeper but things like the Peter Houseman goal in 1970 Cup Final show that he was prone an error or two.