Sprake represented Swansea Schoolboys and was noticed by Leeds United soon after he left school and was playing for a local works team.
[5] 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.
Over the next two seasons Sprake became a regular as Leeds won the Second Division in 1964, and then challenged for the Football League championship title and FA Cup double the following year.
Chelsea chased an equaliser, but when attacking midfield player Peter Houseman hit a left foot shot shortly before the break, it seemed tame and directionless enough for Sprake to save it safely.
At the time, the Wembley surface was in poor condition, with the stadium having hosted the Horse of the Year Show days earlier and having much of the grass turned into hard turf lumps as a result,[3] as well as the presence of a vast covering of sand.
Sprake watched from the sidelines as Leeds defeated Arsenal 1–0 in 1972 with a goal from Allan Clarke and a superb performance by Harvey at the other end.
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.
[11] Sprake worked as a salesman for a short period before becoming a borough council training officer in Solihull, where he remained for over 14 years.
[12] In 1978, Sprake was paid a substantial fee by the Daily Mirror to make allegations against former Leeds manager Don Revie and club captain Billy Bremner regarding match-fixing, though no charges ever arose from his accusations.
Among witnesses who supported Bremner was Wolves' Derek Dougan, who asserted that he "never heard any Leeds player, or anyone else connected with them, offer bribes".
[15] 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".