Bulls 22, Hull FC 28

After defeat to Hull FC, the Bulls can justifiably claim to be record-breakers – although it’s a tag nobody at the club will want.

Having dropped six straight matches, the current side set a new mark for the club’s longest losing run in Super League and fell out of the play-off places in the process.

Since their Challenge Cup exit against Warrington, Bradford’s season has hit the skids, from fourth place after their last victory – against Wakefield on May 14 – to ninth, facing a real scrap to even reach the play-offs.

To make matters worse, they have endured no end of wretched luck in seeking an end to the woes and this was another case in point.

Trailing 28-22 late on, with the draw – and maybe even the win – still a serious possibility, referee Ian Smith made a questionable decision to disallow Craig Kopczak’s try and effectively seal the outcome.

The rangy prop forward was absolutely adamant he had got the ball down over the try-line amid a jumble of bodies but Smith decided he had been held up.

It was harsh on Bradford, who had responded well after trailing 22-6 at half-time and for long spells looked the far more likely victors as they rode a seemingly unstoppable second-half tide of momentum. But ultimately it wasn’t to be.

The Bulls muscled up well in the face of Hull’s attempts to assert early physical dominance and, with a little more composure, may have made their efforts count, Mike Worrincy dropping a pass on the opposition ten-metre line.

But with the windy conditions proving difficult to play, caution proved to be the theme, both sides preferring to lie in wait for mistakes from the opposition rather than risk making errors themselves.

A series of hanging kicks were hoisted up towards each back three and Brett Kearney almost had a hairy moment when he dropped a bomb from Jordan Tansey.

In the absence of any real moments of class, the breakthrough came unsurprisingly in fairly calamitous circumstances.

As the Bulls defence scrambled to deal with a Hull attack, Rikki Sheriffe and Heath L’Estrange ran straight into each other, throwing the line into disarray and providing enough space for Tom Briscoe to cut in and head for the line.

But Hull were not exempt from the errors and two in quick succession gave Bradford the chance to tie things up.

Having made a right mess of the restart, the visitors managed to repel a series of drives before they made an utter mess of Paul Sykes’ grubber too.

Tansey and Richard Whiting both failed to gather and Chris Nero gratefully dived on the loose ball, Sykes adding the extras.

The Bulls had something to build on but then proceeded to cough up possession all too easily and with it the initiative.

Jamie Langley’s attempted off-load on his own 40-metre line failed to find hands and Hull made their field position count.

In a very similar fashion to the first try, Tansey picked up the inside ball and cut an angled line through the slack defence towards the right corner, leaving a despairing Sykes flat on the turf.

It did not get any better as yet more questionable tackling allowed Danny Tickle to blast through a hole in the middle of the pitch to touch down, although the pass looked more than a little forward. Tickle added the conversion himself to open a ten-point gap.

Bradford responded with a period of promise but familiar ghosts continued to haunt them.

A drop-out was forced when Kirk Yeaman was made to scoop the ball behind after Steve Menzies had tapped back Danny Addy’s promising kick but nothing was made of it.

Kopczak knocked on with the line in sight, while Chris Nero bombed another promising opportunity by throwing a wild pass straight into touch.

In a fairly fitting end to the first half, Sykes threw a poor pass on his own 20-metre line that was ruthlessly picked off by Yeaman for a fourth try, converted by Tickle. His intentions could have been read from the stands.

Thankfully, the second half started in more positive fashion. Considering L’Estrange was Bradford’s main source of attacking invention, it was no surprise when the Aussie’s dart and disguised pass sent Kearney through the line to score.

That breakthrough was a real momentum-changer and the Bulls redoubled their efforts with more of a spring in their step.

On the back of two consecutive penalties, another glorious opportunity soon appeared and Kearney’s short ball caught Nero on a powerful charge towards the corner, the big centre taking three defenders with him en route to touching down. Sykes kicked the testing conversion from out wide and it was game on.

Sykes started to find range with his kicks and a stunning 40-20 brought a throaty roar from the terraces as the fans sensed a comeback.

They were not left disappointed. Playing with a renewed confidence, the Bulls were not going to be denied and Addy epitomised that attitude.

Showing composure beyond his years, the 19-year-old picked up the ball in front of the sticks then stepped, stepped and stepped again, exhibiting superb footwork to evade the goal-line tackles and score his first Super League try. The kick from Sykes made it 22-22 entering a tense final quarter.

But with 13 minutes to go, Bradford were hit by a hammer blow from nowhere.

Fielding a kick from Sykes on his own ten-metre line, Tansey produced a piece of magic worthy of winning any game. As Kearney rushed up on him, the Hull full back calmly stepped and then turned on the acceleration, slaloming through the broken field.

He had made fully 70 metres by the time Worrincy caught up with him and even then, produced a sublime offload out the back to provide Craig Hall with an easy finish, Tickle converting.

That proved decisive and, despite late efforts to salvage a draw, the Bulls were left to rue another missed chance.

Attendance: 8,411