As the Bulls set out on the road to Wembley, boss Steve McNamara will remind his side of the importance of momentum, with one experience not far from his thoughts.

Although cup-tied on the day, the loose forward had joined Bradford when they agonisingly lost out against a Bobbie Goulding-inspired St Helens in the 1996 Challenge Cup final.

They famously came a cropper after the balance of power suddenly shifted on one key moment.

The Bulls suffered likewise at The Jungle on Sunday when they squandered a similarly sizeable lead late in the game.

They will be desperate to avoid a repeat in Perpignan this weekend, with McNamara admitting: “These things are happening more and more in sport, particularly rugby league more than ever before.

“I think back to the 1996 cup final at Wembley when we were winning by 14 points but then Bobbie Goulding put up a kick. It was dropped and suddenly, ten or 15 minutes later, we’ve lost the Challenge Cup final. Just like that.

“Momentum is a huge thing. Coaches always talk about building it but there’s a reason for that. One little thing can lead to another and that’s what happened against Saints that afternoon and Cas last week.

“We didn’t field a kick-off, that gave Cas the opportunity to score and then we couldn’t get our hands on the ball. It was a very harsh lesson and not one that we didn’t already know. It’s just been re-enforced.”

Maintaining the momentum in their favour will be key when the Bulls go in search of a Challenge Cup fifth-round spot against Catalans Dragons.

Their sole victory of the year came in Perpignan just a fortnight ago in dramatic circumstances.

Having again built up a healthy advantage, Bradford slipped back but, unlike at Cas, still responded to rescue the points at the death.

They are the only Super League team to boast a 100 per cent record on Catalans turf and McNamara knows that will boost his side.

He said: “It may do, in as much as we know how to go over there and win, but they have always been close games and we have never had an easy time. We have managed to come out on top though.

“Of course we have the recent history of going out there a fortnight ago and getting the job done, so we are looking forward to going away again and hopefully achieving the right result.

“We are definitely looking forward to it. The Challenge Cup is a competition that’s got a lot of history, the prestige of it is huge and we have got some players who have been involved in finals. They all want to taste it again.

“The draw is very interesting too. There are a lot of all Super League ties, so there will be a lot of National League sides in the next round and that is obviously a big carrot for everyone.”

Now McNamara hopes his team will carry out a complete 80 minutes and avoid any of the drama that has plagued them so far.

“You can cover scenarios in a meeting room or on a training field but ultimately you have to execute them on the pitch,” he said.

“Confidence hasn’t been an issue though. That showed being 16 points up away from home against a Castleford side playing very well.

“I certainly won’t question the players’ character. A couple of elementary things at the back end of the game undid all the good work we had done for the best part of 70 minutes, and we certainly played our own part in our downfall, but in terms of the spirit of the players, it’s not a problem.”