Betfred League One: Bradford Bulls 54 Keighley Cougars 4

BRADFORD Bulls were seconds away from a fifth clean sheet of the season but ran in ten tries at the other end to keep the pressure on York City Knights.

Keighley Cougars have little to play for other than pride but were fired up for this derby.

Maybe the experienced Brendon Rawlins was too fired up as, seconds after being penalised and throwing the ball at his opponents, he was sent off for punching Elliott Minchella in the 23rd minute.

That left the Cougars, who were only selecting from 19, a man short for almost an hour and they put a good shift in, despite conceding a half-century of points, and deserved the 79th-minute try that they scored via Cameron Leeming.

However, it was the Bulls who left Odsal the happier as Ethan Ryan and man-of-the-match Tuoyo Egodo bagged hat-tricks and George Flanagan a brace that took him to 100 career tries.

Other tries came from Minchella and Joe Keyes, who landed seven goals from his ten attempts.

Gregg McNally returned at full back for the Bulls, with Egodo moving to left centre for Ross Oakes and Ashley Gibson slotting in at right centre to partner Jonny Pownall.

Keyes came in for Dane Chisholm at stand-off, while Sam Hallas replaced Flanagan as the starting hooker.

Meanwhile, Liam Kirk started in place of James Green at prop, with Mikey Wood replacing Hallas at loose forward. Ross Peltier returned to the bench.

Only Harry Aaronson and Richie Hawkyard remained of Keighley's back five that lost disappointingly 20-6 at London Skolars.

Darrell Griffin came in for Kieran Moran at prop, while the long-serving Rawlins started in the second row, while Scott Law and Brad Nicholson returned to the bench to accompany Nathan Conroy and Jose Kenga.

Bulls won the clash at Cougar Park 54-6 in March but both teams were looking to bounce back after disappointments – Cougars at Skolars on Challenge Cup weekend and the Bulls after being 'old manned' at home by Workington Town a week earlier.

Egodo was tap tackled early doors just as he was about to grub the ball forward, while McNally got away with one as he spilled a bomb, only for an opponent to reciprocate behind the Bulls line.

The hosts won the first penalty and made their neighbours pay as Keyes dummied his way over and added the goal.

Cougars kicked the restart dead to give the Bulls possession inside the visitors' half, and good sniping by Hallas brought the home side a third penalty.

Steve Crossley was stopped just short but the Bulls then knocked on in trying to go wide right.

The visitors were happy to kick for territory but were unlucky to concede a fourth penalty as it looked as if a Bulls player was about to get up and scoot.

The promotion chasers again made the visitors Cougars pay as Egodo showed his strength to go over on the left by the corner flag in the 13th minute.

Keyes missed a testing kick from about a foot in from touch.

Dan Parker put his kick off short this time and Cougars soon forced a knock on.

Rawlins was held up but was then penalised for something said and threw the ball at the Bulls players. Referee Steve Race then put the Cougars on a team warning for a fifth penalty in 15 minutes.

Ryan was then penalised for an incorrect play-the-ball with a Cougars player's legs in the way, and Bulls were then penalised ten metres for dissent and Crossley was involved in a dust-up.

Cougars pressure ended in a knock on as the game continued to be very scrappy, and it culminated in Rawlins being sent off in the 23rd minute for punching, spotted by a touch judge, who came on to the pitch to speak to the referee.

The Bulls were now looking to exploit space but conceded a fourth penalty in 25 minutes (Cougars conceded six).

Law almost made the line but won a penalty as the visitors continued to press.

But it was relieved in some style by the Bulls, with a great catch by Egodo from a Keyes kick, and the centre was able to pass one-handed out of the tackle to put Ryan over on the left.

Keyes added the goal, and interchange Flanagan was then incensed that Law was putting his boot on so close to him as to prevent a restart.

Peltier made an impact when he came on, running strongly in his first drive and being held up over the line.

Jordan Lilley then missed two players with a long cut-out pass to Ryan, who went over in his customary aerial fashion on the left in the 40th minute.

Keyes missed the conversion attempt from almost on the touchline to signal half-time.

Cougars started the second half well and were held up over the line on their initial burst.

But the visitors soon conceded their eighth penalty of match, with Green just unable to free his arm to offload near to the Keighley line.

Peltier was held up this time over the line but relief was short-lived as Flanagan twisted his way over under pressure and managed to plant the ball down for the 99th try of his career.

Keyes added the goal in the 47th minute and then made a searing break to put Minchella, who was supporting on his inside, over for a try as it was beginning to look like a long afternoon for the Cougars.

It was Minchella's sixth try in the last five matches, and Keyes landed another goal from in front. Cougars' kick-off forced a goal-line drop out and they soon had another.

A great run by Keighley's man-of-the-match Ritchie Hawkyard almost brought them reward but he couldn't beat the last defender.

Ryan then jumped with Keighley winger Andy Gabriel and the ball squirted free for Egodo to score a simple try, which Keyes improved.

There were then heartfelt congratulations from the Bulls players as the supporting Flanagan crossed for his 100th career try, with Keyes again landing the goal from in front of the posts.

Hawkyard's kick forces a third Bulls goal-line drop-out as Ryan flicked the ball dead with Gabriel threatening.

Then a ricochet off Egodo's face fell kindly for Cougars but they couldn't quite profit, although they maintained possession on the Bulls 20.

Ryan then snaffled his sixth hat-trick try on the left when Gabriel spilled Hawkyard's pass, with the Bulls winger picking up the loose ball to go over.

Keyes missed the goal but the Bulls were denied another clean sheet when Cameron Leeming went over on the left in the 79th minute, with Harry Aaranson missing the goal from near the touchline.