Former playmaker among most creative in England
FORMER Hull City midfielder Greg Olley has enjoyed the season of a lifetime as he clocked up a remarkable 28 assists with Gateshead FC romping to the National League North title.
The former Tigers midfielder joined the Heed after his release from City in 2018 and has since established himself as one of the best talents outside of the Football League.
The Gateshead captain was hoping to close in on 30 assists for the campaign prior to the final game of the season against Hereford, but was unable to add to his tally.
Olley made two appearances for the Tigers during his time at the MKM Stadium, both in the EFL Cup.
His impressive assists tally this season is the highest in the top six divisions in England, bettering the likes of Mo Salah, Harry Wilson, Sean Mcconville and Mitch Pinnock who lead the way in their respective divisions.
Olley said: “The past four years have probably been the best footballing times of my career. I’ve loved every minute of being here.
“We’ve won the league and it isn’t an easy league to win at all.
“I wouldn’t say comfortably because we’ve been quite nervous - I’ve been nervous for the past six or seven weeks but it just shows how far we’ve come and long may it continue.”
The Heed’s return to the National League will see them rub shoulders with the likes of Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United and Olley is relishing proving himself in the top tier of Non-league football.
“I’m excited to prove myself in that league,” he said.
“We had 15 players every game - if that - and we felt as though we established ourselves as one of the better teams in the league and we got demoted to this league.
“This year we’ve gone from strength to strength and we want to continue that next season.”