Bradford Bulls 24, Castleford Tigers 8; Nigel Askham at Odsal.

It wasn't exactly pretty stuff but with their top five hopes now looking much healthier the Bulls could make out a pretty strong case that the end justified the means.

The most pleasing factor after the first-half shambles at the Shay was that no-one could doubt the commitment although unquestionably they'll need to sharpen their attacking skills to match the likes of Wigan, Leeds and St Helens.

To give them credit the Tigers made it exceptionally tough going at times with a superbly drilled defensive display but much of the Bulls attacking work was too predictable and in the end it was they sheer physical persistence which saw them home.

Leading 12-8 at the break they completely dominated possession for the final 40 minutes but Castleford have made a habit of spoiling the party late on at Odsal and it wasn't until ten minutes from time that the Bulls could rest easy.

Sheer brute force was again the order of the day as Jon Scales took a high pass from Graeme Bradley superbly and fended off Jason Critchley before powering low to the corner.

And three minutes from time it was route-one again as James Lowes shrugged away from the cover at acting half-back and plunged over in typical style.

It had all looked like being so much easier as the Bulls came out determined to shake off their recent tag as slow starters.

Two Steve McNamara penalties settled any early nerves and the back to form Lowes then sliced open the Tigers defence in great style before sending the speeding Stuart Spruce under the posts.

But a series of errors meant they were never able to kick on as they would have wished and it was back to square one for a time as the visitors took charge.

Once again they looked vulnerable to the diagonal bomb as Spruce and Scales failed to take charge from Mike Ford's kick and Danny Orr gratefully accepted the rebound.

Adrian Vowles pulled off one great try-saving tackle on Robbie Paul as the Bulls threatened briefly before the break but they had to be content with a further McNamara penalty after Dean Sampson had been put on report for a cheap shot at Bernard Dywer.

Spruce and the ever willing Tevita Vaikona continued to be their best hope of attacking inspiration after the break but you really did begin to wonder where the breakthrough was coming from until Scales grabbed his chance.

Brian McDermott also went well up front and there were signs that new signing Harvey Howard's ability to slip the ball in the tackle will give the side a welcome extra dimension.

But the half-backs struggled to impose themselves again and that continues to be a worry.

A four-point buffer in fifth spot gives them a little more breathing space though and that should help relieve some of the pressure that has seen them look a very tense outfit of late.

Confidence should be higher too especially seeing such a key individual as Lowes back to his combative best and Matthew Elliott's assertion that no-one will fancy meeting them in the play-offs might not be too far off the mark, especially in terms of a physical battle.

But the jury is still very much out on their attacking ability and they'll need to improve their overall fluency to convince some sceptical onlookers that they are serious contenders for Old Trafford.

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