DAN Fleming is aiming to build on his long-awaited Bulls debut by further establishing himself in Jimmy Lowes’ side at his old club Batley tomorrow.

The Halifax-born prop enjoyed a successful stint with the Bulldogs on dual-reg during the 2013 campaign and prospered at Mount Pleasant under the astute guidance of John Kear.

It was an experience which laid the platform for his fledgling career as he returned to Castleford and made his Super League debut for the Tigers that year.

Fleming joined the Bulls in the off-season on a two-year deal and, after a minor knee clear-out at the end of last term, he came off the bench to make his bow in last week’s demolition of Hunslet.

Now he is looking forward to a reunion with Kear, who picked him for Wales’ European Championship campaign last autumn, and a return to the famous sloped pitch at Mount Pleasant.

The 22-year-old said: “John’s a really good bloke and a great coach, so I’ve got huge respect for him and I’m looking forward to going back to Batley.

“It’s a killer playing up that hill but I enjoyed going downhill and hopefully it’s not raining on Sunday because it will be a bit of a mudbath.

“It’s a good place to play rugby, though, with the crowd on top of you and I played about 15 games for Batley in 2013.

"We made the Northern Rail Cup semi-final and lost to Leigh, but it was good just to even play in a game like that.

“It’ll be good to go back there and get a few more minutes under my belt, but it just depends on what’s best for the team.”

Fleming had been waiting patiently for his chance in the opening three games and he finally got his opportunity last week after replacing Epalahame Lauaki on the bench.

Fleming was picked by Kear for all three of Wales’ European Championship games last autumn.

In the final match against Ireland, he sustained a knee injury which disrupted his pre-season with the Bulls and necessitated a clear-out.

Fleming explained: “We monitored it over the start of pre-season and I had an operation just before Christmas and then built up my rehab from there.

“It was just a little clean-out of my knee, nothing major, and it was just better to be safe than sorry.

“It has been a long pre-season but it was really good to get out there against Hunslet.

“My lungs weren’t used to it but it gave me a platform to build on and I can push forward now.

“It was a dream come true to make my debut at Odsal for the Bulls and for us to get such a big win.

“I supported Bradford when I was young after Halifax got relegated and I was really happy with the way it went last Sunday.

“It has been frustrating because I was ready to play against Leigh.

“But I’ve taken my time and now hopefully I can get some more minutes at Batley.”

Fleming has plenty of competition in the front row but he is determined to play his part for the Bulls in the coming weeks and months.

He added: “It would be fantastic and a dream come true to help us win promotion back into Super League because that’s where Bradford belong.

“We’re a tight-knit team and everyone is pushing hard for places.

“You know that if you make a mistake that you won’t be playing the week after.

“Every game is about us and what we do, so we need to keep defending like we have been doing because defence wins you games.”

Fleming, who also enjoyed a spell on dual-reg at York City Knights last season, has a sideline away from rugby league.

He said: “I’ve got my own gym in Sowerby Bridge called First Step Fitness.

“It’s not a massive gym but my brother and I are running it and it keeps us busy in the evenings.

“He works during the day as well so we do two classes a night. It ties in well with my training at Bradford.”