A rampant Pat Richards was not exactly the welcome Jason Crookes had in mind on his return to Super League action.

Playing his first competitive game for almost a year in Friday’s 22-20 victory against Wigan, there was no time for the Bulls youngster to ease himself back in.

Faced by the towering figure of one of the competition’s form wingers, Crookes suffered a torrid time during the first half, the exclamation mark provided when Richards went straight through him for the Warriors’ fourth try.

But despite giving up four inches in height and more than a stone in weight to his opponent, the 19-year-old outside back had the better of their second-half duel.

The quick yards provided by Crookes and fellow winger Stuart Reardon were vital as the Bulls recovered from a 20-0 deficit to claim a remarkable win.

“It was really tough,” said the Bulls academy product. “I’d not played at all for four weeks, so to go straight up against Pat Richards was not the easiest task.

“I had a better game second half but I knew I had to have a better game – it could only get better.

“At half-time we talked about it and everyone knew what we’d done wrong, so we just made sure we went out and corrected what we’d done wrong.

“Especially me! I didn’t have the best first half, so it was good to put it right and get the win.”

After making his Bradford debut against Hull FC in March, Crookes had looked set for an extended run in the side until injury struck.

The former Newsome Panthers amateur’s season was ended by a cruciate ligament problem suffered in only his third first-team appearance, at Wakefield on Easter Monday.

But he returned strongly in pre-season, featuring in all four of the Bulls’ trial games, and hopes his selection against Wigan is just the start.

Crookes said: “It was hard to adapt. Fitness wasn’t an issue, it was more about timing and getting into the game.

“But it gives me a bit of encouragement and hopefully I can play some games now and look forward to playing more of a part.

“I’m just going to keep playing, trying my hardest, and then we’ll see what happens.”