Hull FC 25

Bradford Bulls 12

The Bulls slipped to their fifth defeat of the season, but with a certain other match starting to occupy their minds it wasn't altogether surprising.

And given they were 18-0 down in as many minutes they emerged with more plus points than were likely at one stage.

Hull's blend of promising youngsters and a number of Aussies keen to go out on a high note after falling victim to quota regulations deserved their success, especially for greater fluency on attack.

But after fighting back to 18-12 by the interval the Bulls missed a great chance to really turn the screw after the break.

The next score was always going to be crucial, but positioned promisingly deep in the Hull half they then conceded consecutive penalties and immediately found themselves under pressure at the other end.

The Bulls' left flank combination of Michael Withers and Leon Pryce did superbly to keep out Tony Grimaldi and Paul Parker, but the pressure finally told as man of the match Paul Cooke eventually sent Parker over.

That effectively settled the match in Hull's favour and it was simply a matter of playing out time for the Bulls after that, although they certainly couldn't be faulted for overall effort.

Fittingly Cooke, who looks an excellent prospect, rounded proceedings off with a drop goal - it was he who had put his side in the driving seat in the opening quarter of the match.

His pass sent Craig Simon charging through for their opening try and there was worse to follow for the Bulls as the leggy loose forward had a clever hand in a move which ended in prop Paul King sweeping inside Justin Brooker to score.

Scott Rhodes' bomb to the corner then saw Matt Daylight climb above Alex Wilkinson to score a farewell try and the final hooter couldn't come quick enough at that stage.

But to their credit they read the alarm signals and, inspired by the experienced guiding hands of Robbie Paul and Brad Mackay, they gradually got a foothold in the game.

Former Hull man Lee Radford helped set the platform with a good charge soon after his introduction and the returning Paul used the blindside effectively to send Nathan McAvoy charging over.

Two minutes before the break Paul's chip ahead resulted in Hull being forced to drop out from behind their own line, and after Paul Deacon had gone close debutant hooker Gareth Stanley spotted his chance and stole away from acting half-back to score a try which would have done his mentor James Lowes proud.

It put the outcome back in the melting pot and for a spell on the re-start the Bulls looked like they might just pull off a victory.

But John Connolly, who penalised them heavily all afternoon, drove them back again and Hull's enthusiasm won the day.

All the changes meant the Bulls struggled to find cohesion at times but the experience will prove invaluable for debutants Stanley and Chris Birchall who showed enough to suggest they have a future at this level.

But with the visit to St Helens on Friday in mind the most pleasing aspects were the performances of Mackay and Robbie Paul.

The Aussie put in a great 80-minute effort to show he's ready for the battles ahead after his recent flying visit Down Under for personal reasons.

Paul too proved his fitness with a big defensive stint after his five-game lay-off as well as showing some nice touches on attack.

The backs struggled to get into their stride but McAvoy was the pick with some strong charges which could just put him back in the frame for the visit to Knowlsey Road.

But the overall feeling was that after the artificially extended league programme it was just a relief that the play-offs are finally upon us and the real action is about to start.