There will be no room for sentimentality when Paul Deacon makes his hotly-anticipated return to Grattan Stadium tomorrow night.

The Bulls’ former field general will be back at Odsal for the first time since joining home-town club Wigan in November, bringing to an end his glittering 12-year career at Bradford.

As the Bulls’ scrum half, organiser and, latterly, captain, Deacon won every honour in the club game.

Three Super League titles, three World Club Championship crowns and a Challenge Cup earned the former Great Britain star legendary status and ensured a deep mutual respect between player and club.

And although Deacon is excited to return ‘home’, he remains acutely aware there is a job to do, as Wigan aim to maintain their 100 per cent record and early lead at the top of the Super League ladder.

He said: “It’s been a great start to the season. But it wouldn’t matter whether we were winning or not, it’s always a nice time to be going back to Bradford.

“It was the first fixture I looked for when I moved over here and I’m really looking forward to it.

“I don’t think it will be too emotional. It will be very strange but I’ve just got to put all those things to one side. It’s a game of rugby league and I’ve got to do my job out on the pitch.

“I’m not sure exactly how I’ll feel but it’ll be a new experience and I’m excited about it.

“It’ll be strange walking into the away dressing room – I’ll have to make sure I don’t go into the home one! But I’ve got to treat it like any other game.”

The decision to quit Bradford was a heart-wrenching one, although Deacon’s pain was eased somewhat by the knowledge he was leaving the club in good shape.

Part of the Bulls side that ended 2009 with five straight wins, Deacon already saw huge potential in the club and believes they have only strengthened since then.

His replacement as scrum half and playmaker, Aussie Matt Orford, is a legend in his own right and the 31-year-old Wiganer has faith in both the players and coaching staff to bring success back to the club.

Deacon said: “I definitely expect big things from them. Knowing how we did at the end of last year, that’s the type of run they can go on and if the pivots start working together and settle in, they are all world-class players who will cause teams problems.

“I’ve not seen much of Bradford in action this year but I saw the Castleford game. It was a good win and they really looked to click that night.

“They’ve gone on to beat Salford as well, so they’re in good shape at the moment and we’ll have to be on our game to beat them.”

In making his move across the Pennines, Deacon has also switched from focal point to support player.

An ever-present in the Bulls’ starting line-up for much of the previous 12 years, he has quickly become accustomed to a new role as bench player.

With Sam Tomkins and Thomas Leuluai firmly established as the Warriors’ first-choice halves, Deacon is used instead to help spell Mark Riddell at hooker.

Deacon has either been employed at scrum half, allowing Leuluai to shift to hooker, or has played the No 9 role himself during Wigan’s impressive start to the campaign.

The only addition to the Warriors’ squad during the off-season, he was initially supposed to combine playing with coaching to help support new boss Michael Maguire.

But his off-field duties have been put on hold and, for the time being, that suits Deacon just fine.

He said: “I’ve settled in to my new role pretty easily. I’m quite enjoying it at the moment because I’m getting on early in games and I feel like I’m an important part of the team.

“Coaching’s been put on the back-burner at the moment. Michael told me he’d prefer me to concentrate on my playing for now and then move on to coaching in the future.

“I’m enjoying playing for them and I’ve been given the opportunity to represent my home-town club and I feel very fortunate.

“It’s the same side as they had last year, me being the only exception. But the new coach has inspired everyone at the club and we’ve had a confidence-boosting start to the season. All the lads have been great and I settled in within the first week.”