JOHN Kear will warn the Bulls about the potential pitfalls of a local derby – after winning one with only 11 men.

The Odsal coach can draw on his own vast experience of neighbourhood dust-ups ahead of tomorrow’s home clash with Keighley.

And he will ensure there is no complacency against the mid-table Cougars by recalling the time his Wakefield side upset rivals Castleford despite having two players sent off.

Kear said: “It’s a derby and they do strange things to people. That’s something we’ll have to be aware of.

“I’ve coached many, many teams in derbies. I coached a Wakefield team that played for 53 minutes with one man sent off – and then the last 32 with another.

“So, we played over half an hour with 11 men and still won 18-0. That’s what can happen.”

That game at the Jungle in August 2006 was Kear’s first in charge of Wakefield. Skipper Monty Bentham was red-carded early on and Ned Catic later followed him as they continued to defy the Tigers.

Twelve years on and Kear views it as a valuable lesson that logic can fly out the window in the battle for local bragging rights.

Having lost the League One top spot to York after the Odsal defeat to Workington, the Bulls cannot afford to drop their guard against opponents with nothing to lose.

Kear added: “Keighley have had adversity this season and, as Leon Pryce said with Workington, this is a free hit for them.

“It’s like a cricketer going into a T20 game. They can just swing the bat and see if it comes off.

“It’s great if it works and if it doesn’t, nobody is expecting them to do much anyway so it matters not.

“We know it’s going to be physical. That’s how it is against any team that has got people like Mike Emmett.

“That’s how he plays the game – tough but fair. That’s what we’ll be expecting from them.

“But there is a great deal of frustration here. We can’t wait to get out on the field now.

“We feel as if we’ve energised and refocused and we’ll be ready to play with the intensity really high.”