Anyone at Odsal on Sunday will have been as miserable as sin. Never mind the result, I’m talking before the game had even kicked off.

As those dark clouds descended and the heavens opened to pour down on the old stadium, the scene was as bleak and barren as an MP’s next expenses sheet.

There was hardly anyone there, the terraces were practically empty, no atmosphere, no excitement - it was like the onset of Armageddon. Then came the match... and it all got worse.

For those who experienced Bullmania at its peak - ten years ago more than 24,000 buzzing supporters crammed in to see them battle it out with Leeds, creating a vibrant sea of colour and noise – the sheer contrast must have been so disheartening.

It was so quiet. Even from the top of the main stand, at times you could hear the echoes of players shouting instructions to each other down on the pitch. It could have been a Reserve Grade game.

Looking on, it would have been hard to argue with those critics who say the club is on an irreversible downward spiral.

The visit of Celtic Crusaders on Sunday saw just 7,602 attend. Forget the fact the opponents brought only a tiny band of less than 50 fans north from Bridgend, it was an abysmal attendance and Bradford’s second worst in all the Super League era.

The only crowd smaller was when 7,192 turned up to see London Broncos in town on April 8 1996, the first season of the summer competition.

It was that long ago both Bernard Dwyer and Karl Fairbank were on the scoresheet.

Robbie Paul also crossed twice that day and as he prepares to face his old club in Salford colours tomorrow night, the one-time Bulls legend must be wincing to see things get so bad.

It has long been noted that the club’s marketing and pre-match entertainment budgets have been massively slashed since those halcyon days and that was before the onset of any credit crunch.

But funeral-like atmospheres at Odsal are going to become the norm for Bradford. The problem for them is it isn’t going to get any better any time soon, especially if the team continue performing like they have at Grattan Stadium.

Just one win from five home games is no guarantee of a fun afternoon out, especially when you’re paying £17 for the privilege and the country is gripped by recession. It’s no wonder there is little feel-good factor.

The Crusaders crowd wasn’t a one-off. Only 8,643 stumped up to see Warrington – last season there had been more than 11,000 – in the previous home fixture and they were ‘treated’ to a hugely embarrassing 58-22 walloping.

Now they have had two cringe-worthy performances back to back. It will be interesting to see how many come through the gate against Wakefield in two weeks time, regardless of tomorrow night’s result.

Spectators only have so much patience. Both games saw painfully lame displays by the Bulls. Fans can generally accept defeat if the players put in the effort but they are the first to admit they badly lacked desire both times.

It is a fact that some players don’t actually enjoy playing at Odsal because of the lack of atmosphere compared to other grounds but that would never be used as any excuse as they are professionals paid to do a job whereever and whenever.

But, casting an eye over the depressing scene on Sunday, it has never been more painfully obvious that the need for the Odsal Sporting Village to happen is greater than ever. The club needs that to give itself new life.

However, they can’t rely on a new stadium alone to provide that. The team has to start producing consistently again on the field too.

Boss Steve McNamara said at the start of the year that his side was intending on turning last season’s countless narrow defeats into victories and that would be a springboard for success.

But his side have suffered their worst ever Super League campaign yet with those narrow losses still coming thick and fast – Catalans, Wakefield, Castleford and Huddersfield all going the wrong way by just two points each time.

It is no longer a defence to say they have performed well before falling away. The Bulls need positive results to start dragging themselves back up the Super League table, dragging some fans back to the terraces in the process, otherwise, Odsal will end up like a ghost town.