BRADFORD Bulls centre James Mendeika, set to return tomorrow at home to Featherstone Rovers after ankle trouble, has admitted that his team have dished up some 'rubbish' recently.

The Bulls have lost their last seven matches in the Kingstone Press Championship, and the 25-year-old centre has revealed that it is not only the fans who have been frustrated during that spell.

The former Rovers three-quarter admitted: "There is hurt among the boys as well because we know we have dished up rubbish.

"We expect more of ourselves as professional players.

"I feel sorry for the fans watching the performances.

"They are getting fed up of listening to the same interviews, but we are doing our best, although that has not been good enough at all, and the players know that."

The Bulls are still marooned on minus two points, with Dewsbury Rams, who convincingly beat the Bulls last Sunday, eight points ahead, with Swinton Lions a further two points in credit.

With the Bulls potentially needing ten wins from 14 matches to survive, Mendeika admits that it is crunch time.

He admitted: "It would be huge if we got out of relegation trouble.

"It is not a Grand Final or World Club Challenge that we had a decade ago but it will be almost as big as that to stay in the league from 12 points down, which is a huge deficit.

"We can't even think that they (Swinton) are ten points ahead, we can't even think that they (Dewsbury) are eight points ahead.

"We haven't won in a while so win, win, win is our only focus, and it has been frustrating having to watch as it has been for the rest of the boys playing, so I am looking forward to getting back out there.

"We just need one win, and our focus is solely on Fev, but that doesn't mean throwing balls out of the back or doing trick stuff. It means doing the hard stuff all of the time."

Although the Bulls have slipped up in some winnable matches recently, Mendeika feels that the confidence from just one win can carry them forward.

He said: "We have lost games that we probably fancied before haven't we?

"But we need that win that would give us confidence, although confidence can also come from good training.

"Some of the training performances haven't been good enough, probably through stressing and trying too hard for that win, and it is a matter of getting that win to build confidence for the coming weeks."

After admitting that, as there was no-one to replace him, staying out on the pitch in the 52-16 defeat to Sheffield Eagles last month probably cost him a week in terms of his recovery, Mendeika, who scored an impressive 21 tries in 22 appearances for Featherstone in 2014 and 2015, said: "They work pretty hard in defence and down the middle, and they have a bit of a spread play after that with a couple of nifty half-backs."

As for his ankle, he said: "It feels good now and I have had an extra week's training and I am looking forward to getting back out there.

"We have been unlucky with regards to injuries and it is nice to get back to fill a hole.

"Ross Oakes is back as well so it will be nice to have two centres back fit and playing."