Ben Jeffries will tonight bid to help mastermind a victory which might help Bradford avoid their lowest-ever Super League finish, while condemning his former club Wakefield to the wooden spoon for the first time.

The Bulls ended 2010 in tenth place and Tony Martin’s try for Crusaders in the final minute last Sunday kept Mick Potter’s men one place below that by a mere points difference of three from Salford.

The City Reds do not play until Sunday, when they face a Catalan Dragons side needing a win to keep alive their hopes of finishing fifth.

So the Bulls can set a target by winning at Wakefield, although pure statistics are unlikely to bother the players too much during what is sure to be an emotional game.

Veteran coach John Kear is in charge for the final time after an eventful five-and-a-half years at Belle Vue and at the end of a traumatic season for the Wildcats.

They have experienced administration, with a four-point deduction and haemorrhaging of players that followed – plus the get-out-of-jail card provided by Crusaders’ shock resignation from Super League, which afforded Trinity an unexpected last-minute lifeline when almost everyone had them down as a banker to drop into the Co-operative Championship next year.

Wily half-back Jeffries, who has had two spells with each club, admits that when, after spending 2008 and 2009 with the Bulls, he went back to Wakefield, the last thing on his mind was a possible return to Odsal this May.

“I probably didn’t expect to be back but professional sport can be a funny thing and when one door closes another one seems to open – and it’s not always the one you expect,” said the former Australia Under-18s international.

“It’s been fantastic to be back with the Bulls but Wakefield will always have a special place in my heart as it was my first British club and I’ve spent most of my career here with them.

“It was really good news that they got the franchise (to stay in Super League). They are now getting a new coach and will want to go out with a win for John Kear.

“I have to just concentrate on playing the best I can and, if I do, hopefully the team can play well around me. But I’m just one of 17 Bradford players and other people might judge me against the two halves Wakefield have now.

“Usually a lot depends on which set of forwards dominate as, whichever does, their halves usually come up trumps too.”

Jeffries is likely to continue the creative partnership with Kyle Briggs which proved profitable during the victory over Crusaders, with Briggs showing no ill-affects from the broken wrist which kept him out of action for over three months.

Second-row forward Tom Olbison is the latest of the Bulls’ long-term casualties to be declared fit and will probably come in as a straight replacement for Ian Sibbit, who has damaged wrist ligaments.

Olbison, 20, has not featured since injuring an ankle in the 14-14 draw against St Helens on June 12 and more recently struggling with a quad problem.

Fans have been invited onto the pitch after tonight’s final hooter, where Kear is expected to make an emotional farewell speech.