Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 26, Bradford Bulls 14

No matter how hard they tried to disrupt John Kear’s going away bash, a battle-scarred and error-strewn Bulls side were forced into being the fall guys.

Kear ended a five-and-half-year tenure as Wakefield head coach, and the club’s worst-ever Super League season, by accepting the raucous cheers of the fans following a victory Mick Potter’s injury-hit side seemed powerless to prevent.

Like an unwelcome relative at a family party, the Bulls tried to disrupt proceedings but could do little to change the hosts’ planned itinerary as they lost personnel at regular intervals and continually coughed up the ball.

Bradford were unable to capitalise on the freshly-generated momentum of the previous Sunday’s 48-24 victory over Crusaders – their first win in four games – with a late shake-up when full back Brett Kearney and prop Craig Kopczak pulled up in final training not helping their cause.

Hooker Danny Addy lasted just 14 minutes before limping off with an ankle problem, then his replacement Adam O’Brien’s nose injury from the previous Sunday began haemorrhaging blood again to curtail his participation.

It was a scrappy game throughout, riddled with dropped ball from both sides but particularly Bradford. The Bulls spilt the kick-off and it was a sign of things to come.

Wakefield made the early running with John Bateman, in only his second Super League start, making the first break for the Bulls before play was called back for an obstruction.

Further errors led to Trinity spending the first ten minutes in the Bradford half. Former Wildcats back-rower Olivier Elima threw a wild pass into touch as the Bulls attempted to free themselves from the shackles. But a subsequent penalty, when Elima was tackled without the ball, finally got Bradford over the halfway line.

However, it was the home side who drew first blood when the Bulls failed to stop Paul Johnson crashing onto a Julien Rinaldi pass near the line and Josh Veivers converted.

Potter’s men tried to bounce straight back, with Jamie Langley held close after good work by Shad Royston and Gareth Raynor.

A Motu Tony break, carried on by Josh Griffin, led to Wakefield’s next score. Ryan Tongia went over in the corner on the following play, although Veivers failed with the difficult touchline conversion.

Handling errors continued to hamper Bulls attempts to move forward and Tongia crossed again but the pass was deemed to have come off of the floor and Bradford breathed easily again.

The finally got on the scoreboard when endeavour from Royston and Raynor near the line disrupted the opposing defence enough for an alert Kyle Briggs to pop up and cross in the corner.

Barely two minutes later Ben Jeffries, making his first return since going back to Odsal from Wakefield mid-season, sent Shaun Ainscough in at the other corner. And although Patrick Ah Van missed both conversions, the until-then outplayed Bulls were right back in the game.

But Wakefield regained the momentum when a loose pass that Ah Van was unable to dive on was hacked 60 metres upfield by Tongia, with Ainscough in hot pursuit.

Although the Bradford player failed to get to the ball first, he did enough to prevent the Wakefield wingman grounding to the satisfaction of referee Phil Bentham and claims for the try were disallowed.

But a minute before the break, home substitute Michael Korkidas crashed over and Veivers’ kick extended the lead to 16-8.

Just 90 seconds into the second half, Wildcats player Stuart Howarth went down hard making a tackle and the game was held up for several minutes before he was able to carry on.

The continual compulsion to surrender ball cheaply enabled Trinity to keep the pressure on, although both sides had chances.

On a rare attack, Ah Van was just too late onto a Jeffries stab in goal. Tongia was then pulled back for a forward pass, despite running around Royston and making as if to score at the other end.

Briggs broke free 25 yards out but was scrambled to the ground before again the ball came frustratingly free long before Bradford got to the sixth-tackle kick.

Ah Van lost control in his own 20 and soon after Rinaldi went desperately close. Then Ben Gledhill was also held up as the Bulls defended three successive sets.

The pounding finally proved too much as Tommy Lee shook off several tiring tackles to go over near the posts on the hour, with Veivers’ third successful kick extending the advantage to 14 points.

Paul Sykes had a rare run at the line shortly after but the Wildcats were soon in the ascendancy again.

Largely against the run of play, big Tom Burgess showed a remarkable turn of speed and a clean pair of heels to the Wakefield defence as he broke down centre-field and Royston, playing his 200th game in Britain before moving to France, was up in support to score and give the Bulls late hope. But the forward inertia they gained from this fillip was yet again lost through careless handling.

Rinaldi was hauled down by a fine Royston tackle, before Bryn Hargreaves crossed at the other end but only after a forward pass. The last 15 minutes was still the Bulls’ best spell, finally managing to string some incisive passes together.

Briggs went agonisingly close to pegging another try back before, 90 seconds from time, Rinaldi clinched the win that takes the Wildcats off the foot of the final table by pouncing on a Tongia chip in the corner.

After the game Kear gave an impassioned farewell speech to supporters gathered on the pitch but the beaten Bulls were already away and in the showers by then.

The result seems certain to relegate Potter’s side to a summer era worst-ever 11th place in the table unless Salford lose by more than 15 points at home to Catalan Dragons tomorrow.

Attendance: 6,502