THERE were wild celebrations following Bulls’ dramatic 20-16 Championship win at York on Monday, and it was no surprise to see veteran hooker George Flanagan heavily involved.

He had already excitedly booted the ball into the stands following his first-half try, and at full-time, he sprinted over to the jubilant Bulls fans, before sliding across the turf in front of them.

The Bradfordian told the T&A: “Massive credit to our fans, because they’ve had it tough this season and we have been criticised by them at times.

“They’ve not been afraid to give us their opinions on our performances, and that’s fair, because they’re the ones spending their hard-earned cash on us.

“I thought Monday night was the best they’ve been all year, and they really got behind us when our backs were against the wall and we were defending for our lives in the last 15 minutes.

“Steve (Crossley) waved me over to our fans at full-time and I decided to pull out a Jurgen Klinsmann slide across that lush surface for them.

“It was sweet, and being a Bradford lad, I love playing in front of these fans.”

The victory was arguably Bulls’ best of 2022, and asked if it showed what they were capable of, Flanagan said: “100 per cent.

“The week before the game was tough, as we knew we’d be without our two key halves.

“There was no real pressure on us because of that, but we knew we could win without them.

“Sam (Hallas) and Myles (Lawford) did brilliantly in there and in a way it was bittersweet that this performance came so late in the season.

“Everyone was an eight or nine out of 10, and you couldn’t get much better defending than what we showed at the end.”

The night was a personal triumph for Flanagan, who said: “It was only my second start of the season after Dewsbury on the opening day.

“Tom (Doyle) has a two-game ban coming up so Mark (Dunning) probably had that in mind when he asked me during the week if I’d mind starting.

“Normally I’m coming off the bench, making an impact and running around like a bit of a headless chicken at times.

“But I felt I was more composed on Monday and really showed my experience.

“It was nice to get a try that wasn’t a show and go too, and it was fun to be able to go a bit over the top with my celebration.”

Lawford scored a try not long after that one, and praising the two unlikely starting halves, Flanagan said: “I’m immensely proud of both of them.

“Myles is about two stone wet through, but he stood up well when anyone ran at him.

“And to handle the pressure he was under at just 18, it was such a mature performance.

“With Sam, you can put him anywhere on the pitch and he’ll give 110 per cent.

“He’s a great leader and a legend of a bloke, who leads by his actions on the pitch, and given he wasn’t used to the position, I thought he was immense.”

The challenge now is to back that performance up, and Flanagan said: “It’s about finishing the season on a high now.

“We know it’s not been our best year, and as a club, we’re not happy with it.

“We have a tough run of fixtures to end the season, but it’s four games to help us try and build for next year.

“Some players know they’ll be leaving too, so it’s a chance to go out on a high in our final few games together as a team.”