Bradford Bulls 30 Oldham 12

TWO late tries by man of the match Dalton Grant gave Bradford Bulls a hard-earned Good Friday victory over plucky Oldham.

Up until then John Kear’s men had found it difficult to shake off the visitors, who mounted severe pressure at the end of the first half and had their moments in the second half.

The Bulls led 12-0 at half-time via an Elliot Minchella try and four Joe Keyes goals, but the moment of the match came in the second half when Dane Chisholm finished off a length-of-the-field break by Gregg McNally and Ethan Ryan.

Lee Smith added two goals in the second half, while Oldham replied with tries by full back Kyran Johnson and Phillip Joy, with Paul Crook adding two goals.

Bulls brought in skipper Smith for Jake Butler-Fleming, but otherwise they were unchanged.

Oldham, having their third game in ten days, recalled Johnson and Matt Reid at centre.

A downpour just before kick-off made conditions slick, although the pitch looked in good condition.

A minute’s silence was observed before kick-off for Barry Hebblethwaite, the former pits gate operator for Bradford speedway who worked for Bradford Council.

The hosts were the first to threaten when Ryan broke down the left flank and Matty Garside was stopped a metre short.

Keyes put the Bulls ahead in the tenth minute with a straightforward penalty after interference at the tackle.

The home side were dominating territorially as Oldham put on Liam Bent for Joy.

Steve Crossley put the the Bulls in A1 position with a drive up the middle, and swift passing gave him another chance a minute later only for him to be held up over the line.

But there was no reprieve for the visitors as a Keyes grubber allowed Minchella to score the game’s first try after 19 minutes – only the sixth time that they have conceded.

It was Minchella’s ninth try in five matches, and Keyes added the goal to make it 8-0.

Oldham were unhappy at referee Nick Bennett's obstruction ruling in the 24th minute, but Keyes made the visitors with a second penalty that was even easier than his first to stretch the margin to 10-0.

The visitors then had to drop out from underneath their posts when Kyran Johnson was ruled to have carried the ball over the dead-ball line when under no pressure, but Ryan could not quite get on the end of Dane Chisholm’s kick to the right corner.

Near the end of the half as the temperature dropped, Oldham had five successive sets within the Bulls’ 20-metre area but the home side held out, with the pressure being relieved by an Oldham knock-on, although interchange Luke Nelmes was held up midway through that pressure.

Referee Bennett then put Oldham on a team warning after they conceded nine penalties in the opening 40 minutes to the Bulls’ four.

At half-time, the all-conquering Bulls women, who face Leeds Rhinos in their opening Super League fixture on Sunday, April 15, were introduced to the crowd.

Two minutes after the restart, Johnson, who was returning after dislocating a finger, exploited a large hole in the Bulls defence to go over from ten metres out, with stand-off Crook adding the goal to make it 12-6 and game on.

But that only inspired the Bulls to greatness as, five minutes later, McNally fielded a bomb near his own line and on a diagonal run shaped to pass outside him to fool the Oldham defence. Ryan took up the attack before putting Chisholm over for the try, with Smith adding the goal for 18-6.

Oldham almost responded from short range as prop Adam Neal was held up over the line, but the visitors did not have to wait long as Joy scored and Crook landed the goal.

Only leading by six now, John Kear immediately brought on Crossley, but Oldham were over again as a left-footed cross-kick wrong-footed the home defence, but Bennett ruled that the visitors were offside.

Oldham fans were berating Bennett now, and their mood wasn’t improved when Smith made it 20-12 with another penalty from in front of the posts as the game neared the three-quarter mark.

Joy was then held up, but soon after Ryan almost got free on the left, only for the Greater Manchester side to be penalised again.

The next penalty that the visitors conceded made that ledger 14-8 in favour of the Bulls.

But the home defence were next to be tested as the match neared the 70-minute mark, but they survived it as the night sky darkened.

Then a pin-point Chisholm kick dropped behind the head of Oldham left winger Ben West for Dalton Grant to run onto it and claim his fifth try in the league this season.

That 73rd-minute score sealed the deal for the Bulls, and was soon followed by the prolific Grant’s second try of the night in the same corner as the Bulls made it 28-12, Chisholm converting superbly from the touchline.

Bulls: McNally; Ryan, Smith, Gibson, Grant; Keyes, Chisholm; Crossley, Hallas, Bustin, Garside, Minchella, Milton. Interchange: Peltier, Flanagan, Wood, L Johnson.

Oldham: K Johnson; Eccleston, Reid, Holmes, West; Crook, Hewitt; Joy, Hughes, Neal, Bridge, Langtree, Spencer. Interchange: Briscoe, Wilkinson, Nelmes, Bent.

Referee: Nick Bennett.

Attendance: 4,036.