Otley’s director of rugby Gary Walker is convinced his team will break their away-day hoodoo before the end of the season.

Since beating whipping boys Manchester 93-3 in National League One on October 3, 2009, the Cross Greeners have only won one of their 30 trips in either National League One or SSE National League Two North.

And that was the 55-13 victory at Nuneaton on April 10, 2010 which helped Otley perform what has become known as the ‘Great Escape’ from relegation.

“I am certain that we will bring this sequence to an end this season,” said Walker, whose side have lost their last 18 away games, including the whole of last season.

One reason why Walker is so optimistic is that his team have stopped giving their opponents a head’s start away from home.

“Too often we have let the home team dictate to us in the opening 20 minutes but we are not doing that any more.”

Last Saturday’s 22-13 defeat at Leicester Lions was solid evidence of this as Otley turned round 8-0 ahead and were still in the contest deep into the final quarter.

“We have struggled away from home but we played very well at Leicester Lions to get that half-time lead, and as we blew another chance it should have been 15-0 or even 18-0 at the interval,” said Walker.

Second row Tom O’Donnell’s try and full back Nick Coupland’s penalty gave Otley their half-time cushion, the Lions tieing matters up with a Tom Williams try and a Joe Boden penalty.

“We played really well in the second half and held our lead past the hour,” said Walker, “but Leicester were then clinical in scoring two tries in seven minutes.”

Tries by flanker Mark Howgate, who had been sin-binned earlier, and replacement prop Jon Glover, Boden converting both, finished Otley’s chances of victory.

But they kept alive their chances of the bonus point with a try in the corner by winger James Twomey at the death, the conversion unfortunately being missed.

Walker added: “We know we can score tries away from home but we must stop letting sides dictate to us in those opening 20 minutes.

“I know we will end this sequence of away defeats this season.”

One thing that hasn’t helped Walker has been a rash of injuries - he has already used 30 players in the first team in seven matches, which is no good when it comes to A getting used to partnering B etc.

He said: “We are without Christian Georgiou and Ollie Cicognani because of pulled hamstrings, Adam Malthouse because of a shoulder injury, Simon Willett because of his freak thumb dislocation in the warm-up at Caldy, and Joe Barker and Chris Walker, who are now regular starters for Leeds in the Championship.

“When you add that to Rob Afoa-Peterson (close-season knee operation), Rob Whatmuff (torn bicep) and Ryan Duckett, you are looking at two-thirds of a team.”

However, Walker has been boosted by the form of former Selkirk second-row Willett, ex-Old Crossleyans open-side flanker Daniel Temm and winger James Wood, a summer signing from Huddersfield who has already scored six tries. On Saturday, Otley are at home to Bromsgrove, who are ninth - one place and three points better off than Otley.

“It will be another difficult game,” said Walker. “Bromsgrove have already won 28-13 at Harrogate this season.”