Bulls finally end barren run
Bradford registered their first win since May with a 38-28 triumph over Wakefield at the Grattan Odsal Stadium.
Last Updated: 22/08/10 6:19pm
Bradford registered their first win in 13 games with a 38-28 triumph over fading Wakefield at the Grattan Odsal Stadium.
Wayne Godwin grabbed two of the home side's six tries as they leapfrogged over their opponents in the engage Super League table.
The Wildcats, who have now lost five on the spin themselves, were a sight for sore eyes for the Bulls, who last tasted success when they travelled to Belle Vue for the reverse fixture back in May.
John Kear's troops let slip an early 12-0 lead before threatening a comeback in the second half with three tries in the space of 12 minutes.
Hung on
However Bradford managed to hang on, giving stand-in coach Lee St Hilaire his first triumph and ending Wakefield's slim play-off hopes in the process.
To do so they had to overcome a shocking start, the visitors going ahead after just four minutes when Paul Johnson set up Danny Kirmond.
A short grubber kick from Sam Obst set up a second try for the Wildcats, Daryl Millard collecting the ball and then holding off two tacklers to finish.
Ben Jeffries added the extras for both tries to give the visitors a 12-point cushion, though Bradford struck soon after to cut the gap in half.
Brett Kearney accepted a pass from Paul Sykes, who went on to add the conversion, just inside Wakefield's half before racing away to touch down.
The Bulls then levelled proceedings after the impressive Danny Addy's sharp pass allowed captain Andy Lynch to go over. Sykes slotted over the extras and then knocked over a 34th minute penalty to put his team ahead for the first time.
The game was then blown wide open by two tries in the space of three minutes just before the break.
Godwin grabbed both of them, firstly riding the challenge of Aaron Murphy to cross the line before Rikki Sheriffe's high kick back infield bounced kindly into his path, allowing the hooker to scamper in underneath the posts.
Bradford moved further clear nine minutes into the second half when Elliott Whitehead got on the end of Kearney's grubber, the conversion from Sykes making it 32-12.
Weak defending
But to their credit Wakefield refused to cave in. Obst collected his own kick to cross the try line in the 52nd minute and the half-back's effort breathed new life into the Wildcats.
They capitilised on some weak defending to score again through former Bull Glenn Morrison and as nerves jangled amongst Bradford fans and players alike, the visitors twice came close to touching down again.
Instead it was Bradford who grabbed the crucial next try through Steve Menzies, Sykes' seventh successful kick giving his team some breathing space.
Although Wakefield's Sean Gleeson did get over with 15 minutes to go it was no more than a consolation, the Bulls finally getting back to winning ways after the worst ever run of results in their illustrious history.
