ETHAN Ryan admitted the Bulls’ second straight loss was “annoying”.

Last season’s League One top scorer got off the mark in the Championship with two tries against York.

But the 24-14 reverse to their promotion rivals from last year made it successive defeats for John Kear’s men.

A frustrated Ryan said: “It was good to get a couple more tries but I’d trade them for a win because that’s more important.

“To concede a couple of sloppy tries at the back end was gutting.

“We’d worked so hard throughout the game and for them to win it like that was quite annoying.

“It wasn’t like they threw some marvellous shape at us, threw it out wide and then dived in the corner.

“If they score something spectacular to win it then sometimes you just have to say ‘fair play’. But it wasn’t like that.

“We could have stopped it and that’s why it was difficult to take.”

The Bulls had clawed their way back from a 12-point deficit to nose in front midway through the second half. Ryan felt the performance was a step-up from the Sheffield loss but they let York off the hook.

The winger added: “We were on top for the majority of the game and we had an opportunity to put it to bed but didn’t do it.

“A team like York are always sticking around. They gave a full 80-minute performance and it just proved too much for us.

“If we’d just kept on doing what we had been, then it would have been easy.

“But that’s where we are struggling, trying to see a game out.

“Sheffield was the same. We got a man sent off and couldn’t see out the game.

“When you’re on the pitch and it’s happening in front of you, it’s really annoying to see.

“Everyone has worked so hard and then you get that slight moment when something shuts off and it costs you the game.”