JOHN Kear challenged the Bulls to bounce back from their first Odsal loss in League One by winning all their remaining games to clinch promotion.

Second-placed York held off a home fightback to grab a 30-28 victory in a thrilling duel between the division’s top two.

The Bulls, who had trailed 24-0 in the first half, remain in pole position but are only ahead of the Knights now on points difference with eight games left.

Kear, who felt the contest was a fantastic advert for the competition, is calling on his players to shake off the disappointment and aim for a perfect finish.

He said: “We have to win every game. It’s a pretty easy conundrum to work out.

“We’ve got a better points difference at the minute and we’ve just got to knock off each game one at a time.

“They’ve got to attempt to catch our points difference up – that’s what it means to both teams.

“We’re still top of the league and it’s in our hands. We have to win eight from eight.

“York have to do the same and post some points as well but they are capable of doing that.

“We’ll have to keep an eye on them and they’ll do the same to us I’m sure. Then one of us will be champions and the other in the play-offs at the end of the season.”

Joe Keyes was taken to hospital with concussion after play was stopped for nearly eight minutes for treatment.

Kear added: “His neck is okay so he’s pleased with that.

“But it’s his second concussion this season, so he’ll have to go and see a specialist.

“He’ll have to be cleared and obviously it’s an eight-day protocol. He won’t be available for next week against London but we’ve got Jordan Lilley who’ll step in to that role.”

The Bulls coach was fuming that Josh Johnson, who scored York’s opening try, had been allowed to play.

The dual-reg Hull KR prop had been sent off a fortnight earlier against Doncaster and Kear complained to the RFL before the game to question why he has not been punished.

He said: “This should have been the first game of any suspension he picked up.

“The RFL have said they didn’t receive any reports, which I can’t believe in an age of digital media.

“We made this complaint on Friday before the game so nobody could say it was sour grapes.

“They told us it was a failure to receive reports but I think that is utter nonsense in this era.

“Anybody could have seen it. Him and Russ Spiers were sent off in the fourth minute for trading punches – and for me that should be a suspension.

“It’s not sour grapes because we did it prior to this. It’s a pop at the RFL and their inefficiency.”

Yesterday's match attracted the biggest crowd of the season in League One, with Bradford City chairman Edin Rahic among the 6,441 spectators at Odsal.