Game

Saturday 25 Jul 2009

Kick Off 18:00

Bradford Bulls finally got an engage Super League victory after a dry month by gaining revenge on basement side Celtic Crusaders in Bridgend.

This was the Crusaders' only chance this season to get home and away victories, having dramatically beaten Bradford at the Grattan Stadium by 30-24 back in May for their debut league victory.

And it was with some nerves that Steve McNamara's Bulls stepped out onto The Brewery Field aiming to arrest a five-match run of defeats that has seen them drop to 12th in the table and lie five points adrift of 11th-placed Hull FC.

The biggest threat of the opening exchanges came when Bradford's Wayne Godwin went thundering to the line on fifth tackle only for Peter Lupton to put in a last-ditched tackle.

Then Bradford almost scored again only to be adjudged to have knocked-on as they went over for a try on 13 minutes, while, at the other end, the ball bounced out of stand-off Matt Smith's hands from a kick into open space with the line at his mercy.

But, within the space of six minutes, Bradford took a huge lead. Second row Glenn Morrison got the breakthrough after a long run by Chris Nero that was superbly stopped by Crusaders' wing Steve Tyrer on the line before the ball came across the back division and Morrison raced in from ten yards.

Then full-back Dave Halley pounced on a loose ball on the Crusaders line and, moments later, finished off an excellent handling movement involving some superb inter-passing to cross in the right corner.

Two of the three tries were converted by scrum-half Paul Deacon and, after half-an-hour, Bradford were 16-0 up.

The Crusaders did have their chances, mostly down the left wing, with Anthony Blackwood and Peter Lupton prominent, but their hands let them down and Bradford went into the break 18-0 up after Deacon booted a penalty within seconds of the half-time hooter.

Crusaders captain Jace Van Dijk had a couple of chances early in the second-half to get his side off the mark but some excellent Bradford defence denied him.

And it was not long before Bradford added a fourth try when replacement Terry Newton found himiself under a pile of bodies but got the ball down.

At 24-0, Bradford were all but home and dry. However, they left the gate open on the hour for home hooker Lincoln Withers to race 20 yards and finally open the Crusaders' account.

The relief was short-lived as prop Andy Lynch grabbed another Bulls' score before the Crusaders countered with a well-worked touchdown from stand-off Matt Smith, while Semi Tadualala wrapped up Bradford's win with a sixth try near the end.