One escape too many for Bradford Bulls as Keiron Gill try snatches victory for Oldham

A DRAMATIC finale at Bower Fold saw the Bulls twice hold onto the Kingstone Press Championship points – only to then lose them to a stunning Oldham try with three minutes on the clock.

In an intense yet error-strewn encounter, Bradford, having seen a 20-12 lead cancelled out with 12 minutes to go, edged back ahead thanks to a Jordan Lilley penalty.

But the home crowd were sent into raptures when on-loan Castleford centre Keiron Gill – perhaps fortunate to have escaped a card for a high tackle on Lilley earlier in the half – somehow evaded desperate defenders to finish a mesmeric effort and steal the spoils.

The Bulls had had one let-off at 22-20 up when Roughyeds half-back Scott Leatherbarrow, hitherto with a 100 per cent record with the boot, missed a penalty which would have levelled things up again.

And they had another escape thanks to full back Jonny Campbell’s remarkable try-saver on former Cougar Leatherbarrow, sprinting across on the angle to take the stand-off into touch when he looked sure to score.

But their celebrations at that point – treating that effort like a match-winner – proved premature.

Home winger Tuoyo Egodo miscontrolled a territorial kick deep in his own half but got to the loose ball quickest and in doing so zipped past onrushing opponents. He then fed fellow Cas loanee Gill who still had it all on to beat the cover but weaved this way and that before finally reaching over the whitewash by the sticks.

Bradford caretaker coach Leigh Beattie reckoned the game should have been over by then but for Bulls errors throughout – coughing up possession too often, allied to some curious last-tackle options.

Beattie had made only one change to the side that comfortably saw off Dewsbury the previous week, with James Bentley, fit again after suffering concussion a fortnight ago, back in the second row, in place of Kevin Larroyer.

Skipper Leon Pryce remained on the sidelines but Joe Keyes took to the field having recovered sufficiently from the ankle injury picked up in training, thereby continuing his half-back partnership with young Leeds loanee Lilley.

The latter took over goal-kicking duties, though, presumably due to Keyes’ ankle issue.

Oldham made three changes to the side that had lost heavily at Batley.

Danny Grimshaw was in at centre for the crocked George Tyson, hooker Sam Gee was rotated back in for Gareth Owen, and forward Nathan Mason replaced fellow Huddersfield dual-reg forward Michael Wood in the pack.

Bradford, playing down the pronounced Bower Fold slope in the first half, had to withstand immediate pressure after two early penalties and dropout, and they duly fell behind in the sixth minute.

It had been four minutes before they got their first set only to quickly spill the ball, Colton Roche the culprit.

And while they survived the immediate danger – Gill knocking on when trying to touch down a loose ball hacked in goal on the free play – prop Adam Neal barged through by the sticks after play was brought back for the Oldham scrum.

Bulls soon struck back, with two tries in three minutes.

The restart down the hill bounced out, with a penalty soon following.

Lilley’s quick thinking allowed Roche to partly make amends for his earlier error, providing the pass that gave Lee Smith the chance to finish smartly.

Then, on the back of another penalty, the Roughyeds were retreating once more and second-row Bentley, left one on one, got over.

The lead was kept intact by Jon Magrin’s try-saver on Leatherbarrow in front of the sticks with the stand-off set to jink over. Magrin was excellent throughout.

The goalline defence had to withstand another two sets, too, after another spill and a fourth Roughyeds penalty, but withstand the pressure it did.

It was fast and frantic, before a few tactical kicks brought some respite, Bradford gaining a foothold again but missing a chance as Brandan Wilkinson spilled a neck-high pass.

They had another half-chance on a free play. Sub Omari Caro, the winger being utilised in the second row, smartly kicked in behind only for the cover to just about clear the danger as Iliess Macani bore down.

But Bradford still had a scrum in home territory and the set ended with Keyes chipping to the left corner where Ethan Ryan outjumped Adam Clay and touched down his seventh try of the season.

Lilley, with the hardest of his three conversion attempts of the half, added his first goal from wide out. Those two earlier misses ultimately proved costly.

Another knock-on and another penalty meant Bradford ended the half on the back foot, though, and Leatherbarrow’s smart grubber saw Danny Langtree score, the conversion cutting the Bulls’ interval lead to 14-12.

The Roughyeds also had the slope on the resumption.

They were allowed too many metres early on, and were also handed territory by Lilley’s risky option to chip the defensive line on half-way, Oldham coming up with possession and a penalty to boot. Lilley tried to gee up his pack but his inexperience showed at times.

The Bulls finally got an attacking set ten minutes in, after Ryan was taken out by Clay under a high kick. But that attack was brilliantly diffused on the other flank by Egodo.

The game was anybody’s, neither side able to sustain any pressure.

The noisy Bulls faithful were made noisier after Gill’s clothes-line tackle spun Lilley off his feet. Should Gill should have stayed on the field to score the winner? It shouldn’t really have mattered.

As Oldham transgressed twice more again in quick succession, Lilley fed Keyes and the scrum half, otherwise quiet, dummied through, Lilley’s conversion making it 20-12 with 63 minutes gone.

The Bulls’ goalline defence was immediately tested again, though, and it was breached by another low Leatherbarrow kick – Egodo launching himself to touch it down.

The touchline goal cut the gap to two points again.

A penalty in Oldham’s next set saw the stand-off then level the scores from 30 metres out in centre-field.

Nevertheless, referee Scott Mikalauskas came to Bradford’s aid from the restart.

As big Nathan Mason broke the line on tackle one, Mikalauskas blew for obstruction and Lilley stroked over the two points.

Bradford wasted further territory, but still looked set for the victory after Leatherbarrow missed his next shot at goal, from 36 metres out, and after Campbell’s heroics.

But then came that stunning match-winner – giving Oldham their first league win since the opening day of term and Bradford more headaches.