THE only prediction anyone was prepared to make before Otley’s home derby against Wharfedale was that the result was going to be close.

After all, Otley had only triumphed 28-27 in the reverse fixture at The Avenue in December with a Clark Wells try two minutes from time.

This time the Cross Greeners won 25-24 with a last-minute penalty by Callum Irvine.

The win left Otley in fourth place in National League Two North, which is probably where they will remain as, despite having two matches in hand on third-placed Hull Ionians, they still have top two Sedgley Park and Fylde to play in their last four matches.

Wharfedale, in ninth, are probably safe from relegation, but left Cross Green feeling that they were the better team and did not get the rub of the green from referee Daniel Woods.

Otley’s stand-in skipper Adam Malthouse, who took over after club captain Simon Willet left the field in the eighth minute with a bicep injury, admitted: “It was a typical derby.

“Wharfedale really gave it to us, and there were some aspects of their game where they probably deserved a lot more than they got, but credit to our lads – they played for the full game and never gave in.

“Over the last few weeks, we have had a few difficult results (losses to Ionians, Sheffield Tigers and Rotherham Titans, two of them narrow) so to get back to winning ways was really pleasing.”

Malthouse said of the result: “It was just small margins. There were times when we could have attacked a bit smarter and used our forward dominance a bit more, but there was not a lot in it.

“There would have been no qualms if it had gone their way.”

As for the early disruption of losing Willet, Malthouse said: “That was massive. It has been a difficult week for him (losing his mother, for whom a minute’s silence was held before kick-off) and he is a massive part of our club, is well respected and I wish him a speedy recovery.

“Our scrum probably won us the game, and AJ (Alex Johnson, who came on for Willet) was outstanding in the line-out and scrummaged well, and Ryan Gibson made an impact when he came on.”

Malthouse then admitted that he did not watch Irvine’s penalty that won them the game.

The lock said: “Callum had missed a kick eight minutes earlier, so I looked at Ethan (Thiart), who was closest to me, rather than looking at the kick, to see what his reaction was.

“It was tense at the end, but I know, being a local lad, how much these games mean.”

Wharfedale were unlucky not to score in the 14th minute when full back Tom Mann combined well with left winger Oscar Canny, centre Joshua Walters and scrum half Henry McNab, but they were rewarded via a penalty try five minutes later, Otley winger Elliot Morgan being mystified as to why he then got a yellow card (for coming in at the side).

Irvine missed a 22nd-minute penalty, which fell short and wide, and both teams were driving each other off the ball before Woods felt the need to have a word with skippers Malthouse and Rob Baldwin.

Gibson then replaced flanker Ben Waddington (head injury), with Otley prop Ethan Thiart being shown yellow after a domino effect of players falling over injured Waddington.

Irvine put Otley 10-7 ahead with a simple penalty from in front of the posts a minute before the break, but there was still time for Wharfedale to take the lead after a quick line-out in the scoreboard corner, Mann scoring it and converting to give the visitors a 14-10 advantage.

Otley, in front of their seasonal record crowd of 560, finally played with some pep in the second half.

Malthouse was driven over in the scoreboard corner to put Otley 15-14 ahead in the 52nd minute but the lead only lasted four minutes as Mann popped over a penalty.

There was plenty of effort on display, but Wharfedale were showing what little flair was on view and extended their advantage with a try by prop Sam Dickinson in the 58th minute after fly half Louis Verity, replacement scrum half Sam Gaudie and Canny had paved the way.

Mann’s conversion made it 24-15 and Otley centre Gavin Stead then left the pitch with a knee injury, winger Duncan Darling returning to the field just after being replaced by Samuel Taylor.

Wharfedale lock George Hedgley was the next player into referee Woods’ book, for bringing down a maul, and the upshot was a penalty try for the home side, which put them just two points in arrears.

The game’s most contentious decision came in the 72nd minute when Wharfedale prop Matt Beesley was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, with the Green Machine feeling that the ball merely came lose, like a cork in a bottle, when Beesley was making a tackle.

Irvine’s attempt hit the far upright and bounced out, fly half Eddie Crossland never threatened the posts with a drop-goal attempt, and then came the penalty decision for not releasing in the tackle, giving Irvine that second chance that he took as the lead changed hands for the fifth time.

A collection to find a cure for Parkinson’s – Caroline Cockerham, the mum of one of Otley’s under-13 players was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 42 – raised almost £4,000 on the day, including £1,500 from a raffle.