Hibs 21st century XI - The right-sided midfielder revealed
The Northern Irishman terrified the Rangers defence with his pace and tenacity. It was a Scottish Cup clash in 2006 in Govan.
Just before the hour mark, with Hibs leading 1-0, Sproule latched onto a Chris Killen flick-on with only Marvin Andrews between him and the goal. The centre-back was caught on his heels, indecision a killer in such a situation, as the forward hit the second in a 3-0 win.
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Hide AdIt was the second time Rangers had been thumped 3-0 at Ibrox that season by the Hibees, and it was the reason for the nervousness when Sproule was in possession.
He had risen from the bench back in August 2005 to replace Garry O'Connor, the striker not sold on the winger's attributes.
Sproule, who was the subject of a £1million bid from Ukrainian side Dnipro not long after joining, recalled: “I remember Garry asking Tony Mowbray when I came on ‘what the **** is he going to do?’"
What he did, with the help of a rampaging and influential Scott Brown, was run riot, hitting a 23-minute hat-trick.
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Hide AdThat moment cemented his place as a Hibernian Football Club cult hero.
In nearly 150 appearances over two spells fans appreciated the tenacity, determination and the wee bit of edge he played with. Sproule may have not been the most refined of players and his end product wasn't always there. However, he was largely forgiven for the way he represented and stood up for the team on and off the field.
He was a speed demon and on his day could terrorise the best of full-backs in the Scottish Premiership. And it was the way he tormented Rangers which will live long in the memory.