Bradford Bulls 44 London Broncos 12

Mick Potter was asked how much further he could take the Bulls after a tumultuous victory which saw his men climb to sixth in the Super League table.

“I’m unemployed mate, how would I know what’s going on?” replied Potter, half-joking, half serious.

Cue laughter all round.

Potter, made redundant by administrator Brendan Guilfoyle seven days ago, had just seen his men produce yet more evidence of their undeniable progress this year.

At the final whistle, the Australian was given a rousing reception by the Odsal faithful and an impromptu guard of honour by his players.

Not a man given to showing emotion, even Potter was forced to concede: “It was touching.

“I’m not a guy who breaks out in tears very quickly but I reckon I came close.

“I felt for the players and I said to them afterwards ‘it’s not all over, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet, but she's warming up. There is still hope’.”

Guilfoyle revealed last night he was in talks with a consortium of local businessmen and that at present they are the front-runners to buy the club.

The clock is ticking ahead of tomorrow’s deadline and Guilfoyle admitted the Bulls will go into liquidation should no deal to buy the club be struck.

As has become the norm this season, the players put all the uncertainty to one side with a fine performance, Brett Kearney taking centre stage with a four-try haul.

There was too much energy and too much drive from those in Bradford jerseys during the opening 40 minutes and London, typically, lacked the stomach for a fight.

The Broncos simply had no answer to the physical prowess of the home pack, nor the kind of creativity afforded by Ben Jeffries and former London man Luke Gale.

The spark that they provided gave the Bulls’ backline plenty of opportunities to shine, with the right channel a particular source of joy.

London’s cause had already been dealt a major blow shortly before kick-off when mercurial scrum half Craig Gower was ruled out due to injury.

The Bulls were quickly in the ascendancy and Kearney embarked on a surging run from deep, breaking past halfway to find Elliott Whitehead with a neat short offload.

Whitehead drove at the heart of the London defence inside the right channel and showed intelligence to find Shaun Ainscough in support.

The winger cut inside before his progress was halted but the move hinted at the possibilities on offer for the Bulls.

After all, if they could go to Wigan and turn them over on their own patch, why not London?

Bradford went to the capital two months ago and put the Broncos in their place, albeit after gifting them an early 16-0 lead, and Michael Platt scored four tries that day.

The ‘Michael Platt’s Barmy Army’ flag seen at Leyton Orient was on show again yesterday, fluttering proudly over the Fat Dogs supporters group huddled together at the back of the Popular Side terrace.

Yesterday, after the Broncos had fashioned their most promising move in the 11th minute, they dropped the ball, allowing Platt to collected possession on his own ten-metre line.

He made decent ground and found Ainscough just short of halfway, with the former Wigan winger similarly making progress before he was tackled.

Yet the Bulls quickly recycled the ball and drove towards London’s line, culminating in Manase Manuokafoa barrelling over the line from close range.

Gale added the extras and it soon got better for the Bulls as Kearney broke on his own 20-metre line.

He was caught high and late by Tony Clubb but dusted himself down and was soon on hand to plunge over the line from close range.

It was yet another demonstration of his ability to sniff out a try and Gale’s conversion left the Bulls 12-0 up and in total control.

Four minutes later, London shot themselves in the foot.

Winger Kieran Dixon dropped the ball on his own ten-metre line and Gale, an influential presence once more, gleefully picked up the ball and waltzed over the line.

He could hardly believe his luck.

It was his first try for the Bulls and that it should come against the club where he made his Super League name was apt.

An 18-0 lead was beginning to look insurmountable until the Broncos caught Bradford napping in the 21st minute when Dixon atoned for his earlier error when he touched down a teasing kick in the left corner.

Michael Witt’s conversion was off target but the Bulls, who brought on Chev Walker, Tom Burgess and Adam O’Brien either side of the half-hour mark, soon hit back when Dixon knocked on horribly and Ainscough picked up possession and ushered Whitehead clear.

Soon after a high kick from Jeffries was expertly caught by Ainscough and fielded straight into the path of Platt, who had some work to do before he squeezed over the line.

Gale could not convert either of those tries from close to the right touchline but the Bulls’ 26-4 interval lead was a commanding one.

Two minutes after the restart, Kearney grabbed his second in typically predatory fashion as some neat handling between Gale and Jeffries led to him taking a pass from the latter and diving over from close range.

Gale added his fourth goal from six attempts before the Broncos hit back for their second try in the 51st minute.

A fine sequence saw the ball pass through at least five pairs of hands and culminated in Dixon touching down in the left corner for a try that Witt could not convert.

Moments later, Karl Pryce was replaced by Jamie Langley after he looked to have picked up a knock. Heath L’Estrange rejoined the action in place of O’Brien in the 57th minute and the Bulls soon had their seventh try when Platt’s fine pass sent the supporting Kearney clear from ten metres out.

London refused to throw in the towel and fashioned a number of half-chances as the game wore on but they had long since surrendered the points.

With ten minutes remaining, Ainscough showed admirable tenacity to fend off a London defender and find Kearney less than ten metres shy of the visitors’ line.

A last-ditch tackle denied the Australian a fourth try, but not for long.

With four minutes remaining, Langley’s fine break was supported by Kearney and he scampered under the posts in front of the Coral Stand and Gale added his sixth conversion from eight attempts.

Ainscough then had a try ruled out before Will Lovell replied late on for London when he touched down in the right corner.