JASBIR Athwal insists the Bulls have exceeded expectations to be two points from wiping out their points penalty – and declared full confidence they will beat the drop.

After taking over as chairman under new owners Andrew Chalmers and Graham Lowe, Athwal believes Bradford are ahead of schedule after starting so far behind the eight-ball on the eve of the campaign as a newly-formed club.

The Bulls had no pre-season and had to rely on one of the youngest squads in their history but would be in mid-table were it not for their 12-point deduction.

At just past the halfway point of the regular season, Athwal said: "I 100 per cent believe we will survive (in the Championship).

"We're at minus two – we didn't think we'd be in that situation now because of the team we had but Leigh (Beattie) and his team have worked miracles. We are minus two points, which is fantastic.

"We will get to zero and then start to set other goals from there. The teams we have played recently are all top four, so it's been hard to get results against them."

Consecutive defeats against high-flying Halifax, Featherstone and Toulouse have provided a reality check that the Bulls still have a fight on their hands to reach safety.

It has been a baptism of fire for many of the club's academy players, who have been thrust into the first-team limelight. Athwal is full of admiration for how they have coped but admits in an ideal world their integration would be more gradual.

"The young lads have been fantastic but (playing them all the time) is not the way to actually bring the youth forward if we had the resources and the manpower," he said.

"We need three or four forwards, it's no secret. Three or four strong blokes who are going to help the kids and enable us to take them out of the firing line when required.

"It might be a learning curve but they can get hurt and not develop as well as they should. It's not ideal for us as we don't like just throwing youth in – but it is where we've been at."

Signing new players mid-season is not easy and Athwal insists the club will not do so for the sake of it if those available do not improve the existing squad.

But this week's announcement of a dual-registration agreement with Super League club Widnes should provide more options for interim coach Beattie.

Four months into his post, Athwal admits it has been far from plain-sailing as he looks to help rebuild the fortunes of the club he has supported for over three decades.

"Speaking as a fan, which I have been for 35 years, to be chairman of the club you have grown up supporting is a big honour – but there have been challenging times," he said.

"It's been a hard, uphill battle but we are still here and we'll keep trying."