1. Ivan Sproule was born on 18 February 1981 and is a Northern Irish retired professional footballer who was most recently manager of NIFL Premier Intermediate side Dergview.
21 Facts About Ivan Sproule
1. 2.
Early in his career, Sproule played in Northern Ireland for Omagh Town and Institute.
3.
Ivan Sproule became a full-time professional in January 2005, after he signed for Scottish Premier League side Hibernian, just a month before his 24th birthday.
4.
Ivan Sproule made a significant impact at Hibernian, scoring a hat-trick against Rangers and earning selection by the Northern Ireland national team.
5.
Ivan Sproule moved to Football League Championship club Bristol City in 2007.
6.
Ivan Sproule combined playing football with his full-time career as an engineer.
7.
Ivan Sproule impressed manager Tony Mowbray and signed as a full-time professional until the end of the season, which meant that he had to give up his day job as a fabrication engineer.
8.
Ivan Sproule was part of the team that won the 2007 Scottish League Cup Final.
9.
In total, Ivan Sproule made 94 appearances in his first spell with Hibs, scoring 18 goals.
10.
Ivan Sproule made his debut for the West Country club on 29 August 2007 against Manchester City in the League Cup.
11.
Ivan Sproule was made to sit out the first four games of the season due to a suspension which he received while playing for Hibernian.
12.
Ivan Sproule was part of the Bristol City squad who were beaten in the Championship 2008 play-off final against Hull City.
13.
Ivan Sproule fell out of favour at Bristol City in 2010, making his last start for the first team in August.
14.
Ivan Sproule was then loaned to Notts County in March 2011.
15.
Ivan Sproule signed a pre-contract agreement with the club a month later.
16.
Ivan Sproule moved to Ross County on a free transfer in January 2013.
17.
Ivan Sproule scored 8 goals in 24 appearances for Ross County, but decided to leave the club in November 2013 for personal reasons.
18.
Ivan Sproule was called into the Northern Ireland squad for the first time in September 2005, immediately after his hat-trick for Hibernian against Rangers.
19.
Ivan Sproule scored a goal on his first start for Northern Ireland, against Estonia on 1 March 2006.
20.
Ivan Sproule made a total of 11 appearances for Northern Ireland between 2005 and 2007.
21.
City manager Gary Johnson dedicated their equalising goal in the match to Ivan Sproule, who had sent a message of support to his teammates.