A TRY two minutes from time by centre Clark Wells gave Otley a 28-27 National League Two North derby victory at Wharfedale on Saturday, writes Bill Marshall.

However, in a match that was full of endeavour and effort and surprisingly little niggle in front of an attendance of 510, including a sizeable contingent from Otley, this was no smash-and-grab raid by the visitors.

Kicking downhill in the second half, they blew several opportunities inside the Wharfedale 22 in the last 20 minutes but were favourites to win having turned round at 13-13.

After full back Callum Irvine (Otley) and Tom Mann (Wharfedale) had swapped early penalties, the Green Machine went ahead with an opportunist try by scrum half Sam Gaudie after a tap and go.

Mann converted for 10-3 and then swapped penalties with Gavin Stead, who had taken over kicking duties after Irvine tweaked his knee and had to leave the field five minutes in.

Hooker Luke Cole then got on the end of an Otley drive in Wharfedale’s right-hand corner, with Stead’s fine conversion levelling matters at 13-13.

With the slope in their favour, Otley went ahead with a try by flanker Sam Hodge seven minutes into the second half, which centre Stead again improved, but the Green Machine came back to tie the scores at 20-20 with a try by flanker Matt Speres that was improved by Mann.

Stead put Otley in front with a 59th-minute penalty but the lead only lasted nine minutes as replacement Ryan Hodgson scored for Wharfedale, with Mann’s conversion making it 27-23.

Otley lost line-outs in Wharfedale’s 22 before and after that try and then lost possession from a scrum deep in Wharfedale territory but Wells finally cut through to score the match-winning try.

Otley skipper Adam Malthouse said: “It was hard work and we huffed and puffed our way through the game at times.

“We knew that they would put a lot of pressure on us early doors with it being a derby but we handled it well, dug in and got the rewards in the end.

“Callum is a key player for us and we missed him at times, but the forwards took a bit more control and we played in the right areas. We did give away a couple of silly penalties which put them on the front foot but overall after Callum came off we still handled it pretty well.”

Malthouse said of turning around at 13-13: “I thought that we still had another 30-40 per cent in us as we hadn’t played as well as we have the last few weeks, and we did that in the second half.

“We have done it a few times this season where we have had to play for the full 80 minutes and got ourselves out of a hole, although I am not saying that that was the case here.

“It was our never-say-die attitude that got us the win, which I thought we thoroughly deserved.”

The win sets fourth-placed Otley up nicely for their home clash with second-placed Fylde on Saturday.

Malthouse said: “Fylde and Sedgley Park are the best two teams in this league. We have won six in a row but it is a different test against Fylde.”