WITH one game to go in the National League Two North season (at Hull, who they could leapfrog on April 27), Otley could either finish seventh, eighth or ninth in the table.

However, Cross Green forward Ryan Gibson can see enough improvement in his side to feel that they could end up in the top five by the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The former Keighley player said: “100 per cent we will looking at the top five, top six. We have a young squad and we have had a good year at getting used to what we expect.”

One thing that improve on to achieve that is consistency.

Gibson confessed: “Our season has been a bit hit and miss. We have a good game one week and then the next two games we might be in a bit of a pickle, but we are all moving forward and we know where we want to be.

“We have a really young squad - I am one of the older lads at 24 now - so it is only upwards for us.”

Gibson, who came off with a lower-back strain in the 31st minute against Ionians, is in his second season at Cross Green and summed up what he has learned in his time there.

He said: “I have learnt a lot about shape and structure, which is so much different.

“The physicality is more and it is a quicker game, but learning wise Denchy (head coach Kyle Dench) is the best coach that I have ever had.

“He is unbelievable, his attention to detail is top notch and we are always working on Tuesdays and Thursdays to get better.”

Gibson, who is normally a hooker, started the match in the back row, but confessed that playing flanker is not totally alien to him.

He said: “I started as a 12 (at Keighley) and then went into the back row and then to hooker. I have played here and there for Otley in the back row (sometimes off the bench).”

As to what areas he feels that he can improve on, Gibson revealed: “Throwing in is a big one for me. It is the main thing, and then defensively I have been giving away quite a few penalties by going high in the tackle.”

As for the game itself, he said: “It had a bit of an end-of-season feel to it. We all know as a group that we should have done better defensively, but attacking-wise you can’t knock the effort, although our shape could have been a bit better.

“However, it is a win, it is near the end of the season so we will take it.”

One curiosity about the match was the number of tries scored on the right wing by both teams.

Gibson said: “We punched a couple of holes in midfield and we knew that that edge (right-hand) was available.”

Otley’s tries came from right winger Samuel Taylor (3), full back Ben Dinsdale (2), scrum half Rory Gaffney (2), centre Eddie Crossland and replacement Joshua Sarsfield, with fly half Joe Rowntree adding four conversions and Crossland one, but they did concede five themselves.