TEN YEARS AGO

THE Bulls are understandably making optimistic noises about gaining promotion from the Kingstone Press Championship this year – but they are a country mile away from where they were in 2006.

On a Friday night at the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield, the Bulls defeated Wests Tigers 30-10 to win the World Club Challenge for the third time in five years.

Stuart Fielden, via his two tries, canny offloads and some bone-shuddering tackles, was Bradford's man of the match but Marcus Bai also scored two tries and Stanley Gene got the other, skipper Iestyn Harris landing five of his six attempts on goal.

Bulls coach Brian Noble said: "I know they (Wests) prepared really well but we dominated them."

Two days later, Keighley Cougars beat Bradford 34-26 in the Joe Phillips Memorial Trophy clash at Lawkholme Lane, although the Bulls only featured two players who played against Wests – Brett Ferres and Matt Cook.

Bradford City, meanwhile, were looking down the table rather than up after a 3-1 defeat away to a Colchester United side managed by Phil Parkinson, who five years later was (and still is) managing the Bantams.

It was quite a week as earlier Geoffrey Richmond and Paul Jewell revealed their sides of the story about their infamous meeting at Clark's Restaurant in Heaton in May 2000, after which their chairman-manager relationship was never the same again.

City striker Dean Windass was hit with a five-game ban and a £750 fine for referee abuse on the back of confronting Darren Drysdale in the Valley Parade car park after a 3-3 draw with Brentford on January 2.

In rugby union, Bradford & Bingley kept their promotion bandwagon rolling with a 52-21 victory at New Brighton in National League Three North to be only a point behind leaders Nuneaton, while former Bradford Grammar School pupil Charlie Hodgson was tipped to be player of the tournament by his Sale colleague Philippe Saint-Andre prior to the RBS Six Nations.

25 YEARS AGO

CITY'S fans were voting with their feet before a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Valley Parade.

Darren Treacy, Brian Tinnion (penalty) and Gavin Oliver got the goals but the crowd of 4,914 was the lowest of the season thus far and the second lowest since Valley Parade had been reopened in December 1986.

City chairman David Simpson explained that their indifferent form and the fact that it was their fourth home match in 12 days, the previous two of which they had lost, were the reasons for the poor attendance.

Bradford Northern belatedly made up for their Regal Trophy final defeat to Warrington by beating them 13-12 at Wilderspool in the league on a day when Hugh Gumbs made a promising debut.

Player-coach David Hobbs' sweet 40-yard drop goal turned out to be the difference, although the hosts only made it much closer with a try in the dying minutes.

Keighley won 24-2 at Nottingham, while Farsley Celtic football secretary David Martin was kicked out for conduct prejudicial to the successful working of the club.

Yorkshire defeated Middlesex 14-0 at Otley to reach yet another ADT County Championship rugby union final at Twickenham, while Bronte Ladies were thrashed 10-0 by Doncaster Belles in the Women's FA Cup.

Shipley rider Chris Young was 18th in the World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Gieten, Holland on a course that was too fast for him (i.e. not muddy enough).

50 YEARS AGO

FOR Huddersfield vice-chairman Eric Sellers, their 6-3 home victory in a feisty, incident-littered clash against Rochdale Hornets was the last straw.

He wanted 16 clubs who pledged to play open, attractive, clean rugby to break away from the Rugby League.

In a letter that was circulated to clubs, leading officials and the Press, he wrote about other teams playing "bad-tempered, unattractive rubbish which is driving the crowds away in droves".

He added of the Hornets match: "It was the worst exhibition of ill-tempered, downright chagrin and malevolence I have seen on a rugby field.

"Referee Davies would have been perfectly justified in sending off at least six Rochdale players in the first 20 minutes."

Meanwhile, Bradford Northern continued to make Odsal a fortress with a 15-0 victory over Bramley, despite having Tommy Smales sent off in the 62nd minute.

Northern had only lost one of their last 16 matches at Odsal but Smales also suffered a broken nose as well as the indignity of being dismissed.

Wakefield Trinity won 36-2 against Keighley to record their biggest win thus far at Lawkholme Lane, depleted Keighley conceding 21 points in the last 16 minutes in front of a decent crowd of 3.000.

Leeds United's plan of putting Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer up front certainly worked at home to West Ham as they won 5-0, while Derek Stokes got the only goal for the Bantams as Barnsley were defeated at Valley Parade.

Bradford Park Avenue were "on the road to nowhere" in a 5-2 loss at Barrow – but at least Kevin Hector got his 24th goal of the campaign.

Spare a thought for comedian Bernie Winters, who was starring in Robin Hood at the Alhambra.

He was struck by an electric light bulb thrown from the gallery in his last scene of the pantomime's evening show and suffered a bruised face.

I know that Bernie is no Billy Pearce but there are better ways at showing your displeasure than that!

Maybe the outburst could be put down to the flu epidemic that was sweeping through Bradford.