Hibs greatest ever substitution as Ivan Sproule put Rangers to the sword

Ivan Sproule rejoices with his Hibs team-mates after completing his hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox on August 27, 2005. Pic: SNS Group Craig Watson

It may well go down as the greatest substitution in Hibs’ history – certainly the one that made the biggest impact.

With his side clinging to a goalless scoreline at Ibrox, Tony Mowbray decided to replace his single striker, Garry O'Connor, with Ivan Sproule.

The Scotland striker's reaction to being withdrawn was a petulant one, but he would quickly appreciate the wisdom of his manager's thinking.

In an extraordinary turn of events, Sproule single-handedly turned the game with a stunning 23-minute hat-trick that gave the Edinburgh side their first win at Ibrox for 10 years, and their biggest over Rangers in a century.

Three shots, three goals and a special place in Hibs history was forged for the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland.

It proved to be a life-changing moment for Sproule, who had previously struggled for regular game time at Hibs and had been on the verge of moving back home to sign for Linfield when he hit his historic treble.

“Everyone has defining moments in their career and that was one of mine," he recalled.

“Without it, would I have made my Northern Ireland debut against England the following month? Would I have gone on to play in England? It certainly contributed to me having a long career. It kicked it off, in a lot of ways.

“When I go back to Hibs, someone always mentions the hat-trick. It seems to have stuck in the supporters’ memories, which is nice."

Given their dominance prior to Sproule's arrival on the pitch, it was not simply a case of sour grapes from former Hibs boss Alex McLeish when he claimed his Rangers side were the victims of a smash and grab.

But Sproule's blistering pace and deadly finishing, allied to terrific set up play for the first two goals by David Murphy and Scott Brown, meant the visitors deserved their win.

Hibs goalkeeper Zbigniew Malkowski also made a crucial contribution, saving superbly from an early Steven Thompson strike.

Dado Prso and Thomas Buffel also squandered chances for the hosts before Sproule exploded off the bench with 30 minutes remaining.

His first goal on 67 minutes saw him race past Jose-Karl Pierre-Fanfan to latch on to a long ball from Murphy and lob the ball into the net over the approaching Ronald Waterreus.

Rangers pressed forward and suffered when Brown broke clear on the counter-attack and found Sproule, who finished superbly.Sproule added a solo effort, holding off Fernando Ricksen and rounding Waterreus before rolling the ball into the empty net to the delight - and astonishment - of the travelling support.

After the match, Mowbray, who had sent out a five-man midfield, said: "I make no apologies for setting out to be hard to beat. In the two games last season we came here intending to play attacking, cavalier football and lost both heavily."

Proving it was no fluke, Hibs repeated the scoreline at Ibrox just six months later in the Scottish Cup with Sproule again on the scoresheet alongside O'Connor and Chris Killen.

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