Careless Hands

The goalkeeper of Don Revie's triumphant Leeds United team of the late 1960s and early '70s, Gary Sprake made over 500 appearances for the club in a career that saw him win domestic and European honours and make 37 appearances for Wales - yet for many people he will always be remembered as the man who threw the ball into his own net in a game against Liverpool. A handful of high-profile errors, and the resultant reputation as something of a liability, have taken precedence over the view held by many contemporary players and commentators that he was one of the best 'keepers of his generation. His heroics won many matches for Leeds, including the 1965 FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United and the 1968 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final against Ferencvaros - yet still the one time 'Hero of Budapest' is more often remembered as 'Careless Hands', his name associated with the goalkeeping gaffes and with the infamous Revie match-fixing scandal while teammates have taken the plaudits for the side's tremendous achievements on the pitch. This fully authorised biography, written in conjunction with Gary himself, at last gives his side of the story and reminds us of the forgotten truth about this often unfairly maligned player. Whatever preconceptions people may have about Gary Sprake, they will find here an honest, balanced account of what really went on, and as such this book should not be missed.

Swansea-born Stuart Sprake is a lecturer in Social Policy at Swansea College. A graduate of the University of Wales, he is married to Rosalind and they have three children. Stuart is an avid fan of football in general, and Wales, Swansea City and Leeds United in particular. His hobbies include politics, golf and real ale. Tim Johnson has lived and taught in Cardiff for fifteen years and his partner is Siany. Now the head of History and Politics at St David's College, he has an MSc. in European Politics and has had work published on Citizenship and Politics for the Welsh Assembly. A lifelong follower of Leeds United and Wales, Tim is also a keen supporter of Glamorgan CCC.