Bulls seal comfortable win against Oldham

by Ryan Booth

Second-half scores from Kyran Johnson and Craig Briscoe weren’t enough for Oldham to earn any points as Bradford Bulls triumphed 30-12 at a rain-soaked Odsal on Good Friday.

Two tries from Dalton Grant alongside further scores from Dane Chisholm and Elliot Minchella ensured the Bulls emerged victorious to pick up two crucial points at the top of Betfred League 1.

Joe Keyes also pitched in with four goals, whilst Chisholm and Lee Smith added a further three goals in a game overshadowed by frequent errors and some questionable refereeing decisions.

The hosts made the brighter start to the contest and earned a penalty in the 10th minute when a Bradford player was held in the tackle for too long, Joe Keyes opted to kick at goal and successfully converted the resulting penalty.

Bradford continued to pile pressure on Oldham and their good work paid dividends when a low grubber kick deceived The Roughyeds’ backline and allows Elliot Minchella to touch down in the corner, Keyes added the extras to give Bradford an eight point lead.

The Bulls took control of the opening period and extended their lead further minutes later as an Oldham error gave the hosts another opportunity to kick at goal and Keyes duly converted the subsequent penalty.

Scott Naylor’s side were proving to be their own worst enemies and allowed Bradford to increase their lead further after The Roughyeds stripped the ball from Ross Peltier - Keyes landed his fourth goal in what was the final point-scoring action of the half.

After a stern half-time team-talk led by Roughyeds Head Coach Scott Naylor, Oldham flew out of the blocks after the break and took around ninety seconds to claim their first points as Kyran Johnson’s dummy forged a huge gap in the Bulls’ defence and allowed the full-back to cross over - Paul Crook added the extras to reduce the deficit to six points.

Bradford responded well and scored the try of the night when a break from Gregg McNally and a slick offload from Ashley Gibson gave Dane Chisholm an unchallenged break towards the Roughyeds line, Chisholm subsequently raced 60m before diving over under the sticks - Lee Smith added the extras.

Despite conceding shortly after their own score, Oldham dominated the early stages of the second period and found themselves in again when Craig Briscoe powered over from close-range - despite the majority of Odsal believing the scorer to be Phil Joy - Crook converted the resulting goal to reduce the margin separating the two sides to twelve points.

The most controversial event of the evening arrived just a minute later when Crook was denied a try under the sticks, Dave Hewitt’s excellent cross-field kick deceived everyone, but Crook latched onto the loose ball to touch down.

However, the score was chalked off as referee Bennett deemed the half-back as offside, much to the amazement of the Oldham staff and supporters.

The decision seemed to spark a sense of frustration in the Oldham camp as the visitors consequently began to give away several penalties. A high-tackle resulted in the hosts opting to kick at goal and Smith added his second goal to increase the margin further.

Dalton Grant then claimed a late double - the latter score was converted by Chisholm - to rub salt further into the Roughyeds' wounds and earn a fairly flattering scoreline.

Bradford: McNally, Ryan, Smith, Gibson, Grant, Keyes, Chisholm, Crossley, Hallas, Bustin, Garside, Minchella, Milton.

Interchanges: Peltier, Flanagan, Wood, L. Johnson

Oldham: K Johnson , Eccleston, Reid, Holmes, West, Crook, Hewitt, Joy, Hughes, Neal, Bridge, Langtree, Spencer.

Interchanges: Briscoe, Wilkinson, Nelmes, Bent. .

Bradford Scorers: Tries-  Minchella (18’), Chisholm (45’), Grant (74’, 78’)

Goals- Keyes (10’, 19’, 24’, 34’), Smith (46’, 59’), Chisholm (79’)

Oldham Scorers: Tries-  Johnson (42’), Briscoe (52’)

Goals- Crook (43’, 53’)

Referee: N Bennett

Touch Judges: N. Horton and J. Woodman

Chronicle Man of the Match: Matthew Wilkinson

Attendance: 4,036