Bradford Bulls 34 Wakefield 26

 Stephen Coulby will spend today locked in talks with potential investors as the Bulls bid to secure the investment required to save the club.

Heaven knows how he will fare, but it is fair to say the outcome of the negotiations could reverberate for years.

Coulby and his fellow directors remain desperate to attract the funds required to stave off the looming threat of administration.

They will strain every sinew to raise the £1.2million they say is required to avert that grim fate ahead of tomorrow’s expiry of the moratorium keeping the taxman at bay.

It is a mountainous task and could prove insurmountable but what cannot be doubted is the spirit and desire that Mick Potter has harnessed at Odsal this season.

His men can switch off at vital times – Wakefield breached Bradford’s line four times during the opening period yesterday – yet their commitment can never be faulted.

Take Elliott Whitehead.

Still grieving from the death of his father Terry just days earlier, Whitehead went out and performed yesterday, his second-minute try laying the platform for victory.

It was a see-saw encounter which could have gone either way but the Bulls, despite having a glut of penalties awarded against them by rookie referee Robert Hicks, led for the majority of the game and were worthy victors.

Not for the first time this season, spirit won the day for Potter’s men, a fact that Wildcats coach Richard Agar acknowledged afterwards.

Agar felt that Bradford simply wanted the points more than his own team. And he was right.

Bolstered by the return of Brett Kearney at full back after he missed the St Helens defeat, the Bulls were dominant during the opening quarter.

They pinned Wakefield back towards their own line before Whitehead arrived to touch down a short kick from Luke Gale in front of the Coral Stand.

Gale added the simplest of conversions from underneath the posts but Wakefield steadied themselves and began to establish a foothold in the game.

They soon fashioned a decent handling move down the left channel involving Ali Lauitiiti and Vince Mellars, whose pass invited winger Ben Cockayne to attack the Bulls’ line.

His high kick was well fielded by the home defence and, six minutes later, after a repeat set, the Bulls struck again following some excellent work from John Bateman.

The 18-year-old showed outstanding strength and no little intelligence to find Keith Lulia on Wakefield’s ten-metre line with an astute offload.

The Cook Islands international, one of the major success stories at Odsal this season, matched Bateman’s desire by barrelling through a thicket of visiting defenders to score.

Gale’s conversion left Potter’s men 12-0 up.

Wakefield roused themselves once more but, with Olivier Elima and Bryn Hargreaves punching some sizeable holes up front, and Whitehead similarly enjoying a fine game, the Bulls remained largely in the ascendancy.

In the 14th minute, Gale flighted a teasing kick to the left corner, where Karl Pryce’s 6ft 6in frame ensured he won the aerial battle to gather possession.

Basketball style, he sent the ball into the path of Lulia, who could only knock on with the line at his mercy.

Punishment was meted out just seconds later. Wakefield broke upfield to catch the Bulls cold before a typically well-timed offload from Lauitiiti sent hooker Paul Aiton scampering clear past a statuesque home defence from 20 metres.

Paul Sykes, who is enjoying a steady renaissance during his loan spell with the Wildcats, kicked the conversion to bring the visitors right back into the game.

Yet the Bulls always gave the inescapable impression that they could move through the gears when the opportunity arose – and so it proved in the 20th minute.

It stemmed from a piece of opportunistic play from Jamie Langley, who picked up a loose ball from a ruck, fed Michael Platt and his short pass sent the lively Shaun Ainscough plunging over in the right corner.

Ainscough thanked Platt for the assist, Gale added the conversion and the Bulls found themselves 18-6 up.

Yet Wakefield responded again five minutes later after a period of incessant pressure on the Bradford line. They went close to crossing on several occasions, keeping the ball alive only for some desperate scrambling defence to keep them at bay, before the Bulls finally buckled.

Lauitiiti, whose offloading game constantly troubled the Bulls, found Mellars to his left and the centre’s pass sent Cockayne over in the corner.

Sykes failed to convert and Manase Manuokafoa immediately entered the fray in place of Elima, while the fit-again Jarrod Sammut soon replaced Heath L’Estrange at hooker.

Richie Mathers then embarked on a powerful run from full back as the visitors turned up the heat once more, capitalising on a flurry of penalties awarded against the Bulls.

They grabbed their third try in the 32nd minute when Tim Smith advanced forward at pace to wriggle past Tom Burgess’ challenge and squeeze over the line from close range after stretching out an arm to ground the ball.

Sykes’ second goal cut Bradford’s lead to just two points and shortly before the break Agar’s men led for the first time.

Another fine move cut the Bulls apart and Sykes’ pass sent replacement Frankie Mariano galloping clear from 20 metres.

Sykes, rather sheepishly, took the plaudits from his team-mates but he could not add the conversion from a difficult angle.

Nevertheless, Wakefield’s 20-18 interval lead was largely on merit.

Aiton, a pivotal figure for Wakefield at hooker, continued in the same vein after the restart but the Bulls hit back to regain the lead in the 47th minute.

Lulia took a pass from Burgess 30 metres out and opted not to pass to a team-mate, showing brute strength and impressive pace to shrug off the challenge of Dean Collis to cross the line.

Gale converted and then kicked a penalty as the Bulls began to dominate field position.

Elima then replaced Bateman on the hour mark as the Bulls went in search of a try that could give them some vital breathing space but, with 14 minutes remaining, Wakefield drew level.

Mathers’ pass found replacement Kyle Wood and his swift offload to his right found prop Kyle Amor arriving to crash over the line.

Sykes’ conversion sailed between the posts to level the scores at 26-26.

Three minutes later, the Bulls regained the lead when a crafty kick by Gale was grounded by Elima, in between a thicket of players.

Gale’s conversion put the hosts 32-26 ahead and he then kicked a penalty with eight minutes remaining.

Sykes then broke clear before his progress was halted on Bradford’s ten-metre line by Ainscough’s fine saving tackle.

Gale was immediately sinbinned for holding down Sykes and Platt almost broke clear in an exhilarating finish in which the 12-man Bulls stood firm.