COLTON Roche admits the Bulls must learn to handle the spotlight of being a full-time team in their Championship survival bid.

The last-gasp loss at Oldham was a stinging blow after four wins from their previous five outings had cut the points deficit to minus four.

They return to Odsal on Sunday to face Sheffield Eagles, who have reverted to part-time status after teetering on the brink during a troubled off-season.

Oldham's post-match elation was a reminder that the Bulls remain a prize scalp despite their tenuous league position.

Utility player Roche insisted no complacency can be allowed to creep in for another match crucial for his side's hopes of staying up.

He said: "The Championship is a really tough league. Personally, I've been around in it a long time and I know that these part-time teams who work all day and train for the love of the game want to be in our position.

"They are going to come out and fire at us. You've got to be accustomed to that and be up for every game. You have to realise where we are at the Bulls and what an opportunity we've got."

Interim coach Leigh Beattie let rip after the performance at Bower Fold as the Bulls missed a string of tackles to allow Kieran Gill's match-winner.

Roche had no arguments with getting the hair-dryer treatment and said: "There's no hiding that it was a poor performance by the full squad.

"There were glimpses of good things but all-round we were a little bit disgusted with ourselves for what we dished up out there.

"Full credit to Oldham, they were a lot better than us and they wanted it more. It's also one of those lessons that need to be learned by our team and hopefully we can bounce back in the coming weeks."

The Bulls were guilty of trying to force too many plays, rather than completing their sets. This week's work on the training ground will focus on showing better mental discipline with the ball when they face Mark Aston's side.

Roche, who has played two games since his knee injury, said: "As long as we make sure every set's effective and not defend all game, then we'll give ourselves every chance.

"We didn't do that at Oldham. We were tackling all day long and it felt like they were always coming at us. It was mentally draining because we couldn't get a roll on.

"Fair play to players like (Jordan) Lilley and Keyesy (Joe Keyes), who were trying stuff. But sometimes we were trying too hard and we'd get to the end of our sets and try something silly and just wouldn't complete and kick.

"That's something we need to work on in the coming weeks. We've got a lot of heart, it's just putting it in the right place. We need to stop dropping the ball and trying too hard to score that try every time."