Editing Gary Sprake (section)

{{Short description|Welsh footballer (1945–2016)}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name= Gary Sprake
| image = 
| fullname = Gareth Sprake<ref name=Hugman>{{Hugman|18614|accessdate=3 March 2019}}</ref>
| birth_date  = {{birth date|df=y|1945|4|3}}<ref name=Hugman/>
| birth_place = [[Swansea]],<ref name=Hugman/> Wales
| death_date  = {{death date and age|df=y|2016|10|18|1945|4|3}}<ref name=Hugman/>
| death_place = [[Solihull]],<ref name=Hugman/> England
| height = 6 ft 0 in<ref>{{Cite book |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1971–72 |publisher=Queen Anne Press |year=1971 |isbn=978-0362000948 |editor-last=Williams |editor-first=Tony |edition=2nd |pages=256 |language=en |editor-last2=Peskett |editor-first2=Roy}}</ref>
| position = [[Goalkeeper (association football)|Goalkeeper]]
| currentclub =
| youthyears1 = 1962–1963 | youthclubs1 = [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]
| years1 = 1962–1973 | clubs1 = [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]       | caps1 = 381 | goals1 = 0
| years2 = 1973–1975 | clubs2 = [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] | caps2 = 16  | goals2 = 0
| totalcaps = 397 | totalgoals = 0
| nationalyears1 = 1963–1974 | nationalteam1 = [[Wales national football team|Wales]] | nationalcaps1 = 37 | nationalgoals1 = 0
}}

'''Gareth Sprake''' (3 April 1945 – 18 October 2016) was a Welsh professional [[Association football|footballer]]. A [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]], he played for [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] and [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] and also won 37 caps for [[Wales national football team|Wales]].

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.<ref name=Indepinterview>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/black-sheep-of-elland-road-wild-man-of-leeds-fights-to-clear-name-474948.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122014710/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/black-sheep-of-elland-road-wild-man-of-leeds-fights-to-clear-name-474948.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 January 2010 |title=Black sheep of Elland Road: Wild man of Leeds fights to clear name |first=Phil |last=Shaw |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=21 April 2006 |access-date=9 December 2009}}</ref><ref name=want>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/where-are-they-now-gary-sprake-1504720.html |title=Where are they now? Gary Sprake |first=Jon |last=Culley |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=16 November 1993 |access-date=9 December 2009}}</ref> 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.