JOHN Kear slammed his Bradford Bulls players’ attitude after they scraped through a hard-fought Challenge Cup derby at Keighley Cougars.

Bulls made it into tonight’s fifth round draw following a 14-12 victory over their neighbours thanks to a 67th-minute Elliot Minchella penalty, which proved the difference in a tight tie.

But the furious Bradford head coach said his side need to vastly improve if they are to go further in this competition.

Kear rang the changes against the Betfred League One side, resting six players, but warned he expects to change his team again at home to Dewsbury Rams when they return to Championship action on Sunday.

Kear said: “Our attitude stank.

“We expected Keighley to roll over and accept defeat. It was a really tough 80 minutes.

“We had three objectives going into this game; number one was to win; objective two was to win well as a team, and we didn’t, and number three was to play well as individuals.

“They have made it pretty easy for me to pick my team for the Dewsbury game. But if we play like that, we will lose to Dewsbury.

“It was a tremendous cup tie. You have got to applaud Keighley, they were magnificent. They worked so hard, they defended really well. Credit to them and to Craig Lingard.”

Despite his anger at his side’s display, Kear did have some kind words for opposite number Lingard, who worked under him at Batley.

Kear said: “Craig is a good coach. I knew he would do well. He has had two tough years at Keighley, but there are lots of positives from today for him. I think he will blossom now.”

After scraping through, Kear said he would like to draw rivals Leeds Rhinos in the fifth round.

Leeds will be one of four Super League sides to enter the competition in the next stage. They will be joined by Hull Kingston Rovers, London Broncos and Salford Red Devils. The ties will take place on the weekend of April 13-14.

Meanwhile, Kear’s coaching apprentice Lingard said his Cougars side did the club proud despite being knocked out.

Lingard said: “We were not going to win the cup. Being knocked out will mean we will have a couple of free weekends and the players can rest up and spend a bit of time with each other.”

He added the club will have boosted by a healthy crowd number, pumping money into its coffers as they look to rebuild following a pre-season takeover and a 12-point deduction.