EAMON O’Carroll was left frustrated by Bradford’s clinical edge after his side fell to a narrow 14-10 defeat at Halifax Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls squandered several attacking opportunities throughout the game with ball handling in particular contributing to the away side’s downfall in attacking situations.
Inevitably, Bradford’s lack of killer instinct resulted in Halifax coming away with the victory in what was a tight and heated West Yorkshire derby.
Speaking after the game, O’Carroll said: “Even though we lost, I thought we were outstanding for large parts of the game, particularly in the first half.
“But yes, absolutely (frustrated) with the missed opportunities we had in attack.
“I need to look back at the Gilly (Kieran Gill) one because, for me, that looked like a certain try (first half incident), so it will be interesting to see if he did ground the ball at that moment.
“Overall, I felt like we created a number of really good opportunities, so it’s disappointing that we couldn’t get over the line and get the victory.
“It’s important that we replicate our first half performance in the last game and in the play-offs, because that level of performance was certainly play-off intensity.
“Of course, this result could have looked very different if we had taken our chances, but we didn't, so we need to have a look at why we weren’t able to do that.”
Bradford’s handling in the wet and slippery conditions at The Shay often prevented the visitors from sustaining any real attacking momentum.
O’Carroll admitted that it was as equally frustrating as his side’s inability to finish off their chances.
He said: “The conditions weren’t great, don’t get me wrong, but it was the same for Halifax.
“They kept hold of the ball better and didn’t make as many errors as we did, so that’s down to us and it’s something that we need to improve for next week.”
Halifax, particularly with recent off-field news, appeared to be playing with emotion and an added hunger to get a crucial derby day victory for their vocal fans.
And O’Carroll admitted that he anticipated facing an extra motivated Panthers side.
He said: “I expected them to be well up for it, so it was important that we sensed that and made sure that we were the ones driving the intensity.
“I think we did that for the most part. I can’t fault any of the players’ application or energy levels but ultimately, we couldn’t get the job done.”
O’Carroll confirmed that there are no fresh injury concerns for his side following defeat at The Shay.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel