ROHAN Smith could not hide his disappointment after the Bulls were thumped by rivals Halifax and turfed out of the top four.

Smith’s men lost 32-24 to slump to their fourth straight defeat against Richard Marshall’s side and now face a huge fight to make the Qualifiers.

With just four games of the regular season remaining, the Bulls lie one point adrift of fourth-placed Batley, who beat rivals Dewsbury.

Next up for Bradford is a tough trip to leaders Leigh on Sunday, who yesterday claimed a stunning 38-12 win at second-placed London Broncos.

Smith’s agony was exacerbated by injuries to Paul Clough (shoulder) and Lewis Charnock (leg) which forced them off either side of half-time.

Jay Pitts also picked up a knock but the Bulls are being heavily linked with a move for rookie half-back Joe Keyes, who was released from London by mutual consent last week.

Keyes’ arrival would offset the loss of the injured Charnock, whose one-month loan from St Helens is due to expire shortly, as Smith reflected on a tough day at the office.

After Kieren Moss’ early put Bradford ahead, Halifax systematically took control of the game, leading 12-6 at the break before running in four more tries in the second half.

Smith said: “It was a disappointing performance in some aspects, particularly defensively, but the score in the end was probably a fair reflection of the game.

“I thought we created some opportunities and inroads and we looked like creating in most sets.

“But we didn’t capitalise on that with points and then we just lacked connection in defence.

“People were trying too hard at times and that allowed Halifax some quite simple opportunities.

“The two plays that turned the game around in the second half were the free play, which was an interesting one, and the kick-defence where we just gifted them a try.

“They were two big plays which changed the momentum on the scoreboard and we weren’t able to regroup and put the scoreboard out of play and just focus on the task in hand.”

Smith reserved special praise for rookie Ethan Ryan, who kept plugging away throughout and was rewarded with a late try.

“The kid had a crack and showed great spirit to score at the end, so fair play to him,” added Smith.

The Bulls boss will assess a number of injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s trip to Leigh and revealed: “Cloughie had a bit of a shoulder injury and Charnock copped a blow to his leg more than a structural injury.”

Smith was asked about how the absence of key men such as Mitch Clark had affected the Bulls.

“I thought the guys who played did their best, and it’s never about who isn’t playing,” said Smith.

There is little margin for error now as the Bulls seek to secure a top-four finish in their remaining games.

Smith added: “They are all big games now and until I’m no longer here I will treat every game the same.”