Thursday 20 October 2016 19:17, UK
Gary Sprake was one of the finest goalkeepers Britain produced and there's one performance of his in 1969 that particularly stands out for Bobby Gould.
The former Arsenal striker, speaking to Sky Sports News HQ on Thursday the day after Sprake passed away aged 71, had nothing but compliments for and fond memories of the ex-Leeds United and Wales No 1.
In one meeting in 1969, the pair were going for the same high ball and Gould reveals what happened next.....
"I was in a position of challenging Gary and making sure I got to the ball before he did. I had a nick at him on his right leg and as I went down there was this left hook coming towards me and I couldn't get out of the way.
"It was almost as good as Henry Cooper's when he knocked down Muhammad Ali in 1963. It was a strike. We didn't have yellow cards back then so our names went in the referee's little book.
"I think we'd both be sent off these days. I definitely had a flick at him but the fun part of it all was that I got a £15 fine and he got let off!"
Sprake was a key member of Don Revie's all-conquering Leeds side which won the First Division title in 1969, and reached the European Cup semi-final in 1970.
He played for Leeds for 11 years in all and made 504 appearances before leaving for Birmingham City in 1973. A back injury ended his career at the age of 30 just two years later. He also won 37 caps for Wales.
Gould added: "To play over 500 games in that period was phenomenal and it will be a long time before that's beaten.
"He was one of the top goalkeepers of that time and there were many great goalkeepers around like Peter Bonetti and Gordon Banks.
"To play behind that back four at Leeds Gary would admit they were very aggressive and very competitive. They all knew what their job was and Don Revie taught them well."
Click on the video at the top of the page to watch the full build-up and fall-out to the altercation.
