Although optimism has been the key word at Odsal throughout the past three weeks, now is the time for a note of caution.

That may sound strange after just one win in the Bulls’ opening three games but the manner of success against Castleford has seen confidence soar.

Having started the season with defeats against Huddersfield and St Helens, the fans were desperate to find positives and a thumping 41-22 triumph over the Tigers was exactly what the doctor ordered.

It is a result – and performance – that rightly restored the feelgood factor but runaway excitement should not be allowed to overtake rational thought.

A quick glance at the Bulls’ recent results at The Willows illustrate just how tough tomorrow’s trip to struggling Salford could prove to be.

Bradford have lost on each of their past three trips to Manchester’s next-door neighbours, their last win there coming in the 2005 Grand Final-winning season.

And while the City Reds have lost their opening three games of Super League XV, they will at least take heart from their performance at Headingley last week, trailing champions Leeds Rhinos by just two points after an hour before finally succumbing to a 22-10 defeat.

If the early season has told us anything, it is to expect the unexpected.

After beating the Bulls in their opening game, Huddersfield were defeated by Hull FC the following week, only to recover with an emphatic 30-0 win at Hull KR.

Meanwhile, a week after seeing off the Giants – and following a superb triumph in their opener at St Helens – Hull FC lost 18-16 at Crusaders, that small sample highlighting the uncertainty of the competition.

That said, the Bulls have every reason to approach tomorrow’s game with confidence.

Every day I sift through all manner of rubbish in my e-mail inbox but on Monday a quote from Maltese physician Edward de Bono, hidden among all the usual junk, seemed particularly fitting.

“The simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity,” said the apparent inventor of ‘lateral thinking’. Something Bradford know only too well.

Although victory against Cas was spectacular, the Bulls’ stunning attacking football was the direct result of a commitment to the basics.

Patience paid off as Steve McNamara’s side focused on completing sets, keeping hold of the ball and dominating territory.

The Bulls’ pack, along with their eager outside backs, made good yards early in each set and front-foot ball was manna from heaven for both Matt Orford and Brett Kearney, the Aussie duo employing their mix of organisation, creativity and pace to devastating effect.

The fledgling half-back partnership, which had struggled badly against Saints, rightly received many of the plaudits, but they owed a debt of gratitude to the efforts of the men up front.

Andy Lynch, Nick Scruton and Steve Menzies all put in excellent performances but, after a second viewing of the game, it was Jamie Langley who truly stood out.

The back-rower epitomised the Bulls’ forward effort, not only taking the ball up hard but also finding gaps and making breaks before returning to throw himself into every tackle on the defensive end.

After playing all last season with a niggling shoulder problem, the result of a dislocation in the round-one game against Hull KR, Langley appears to be in better shape than ever.

A quick look at the statistics bears this out. Through the opening three games of the season, the England star has made 468 metres (fourth best in Super League) from 61 carries (fifth highest).

The 26-year-old Academy graduate has also made 114 tackles (13th best) and 16 marker tackles (14th best), while missing only four tackles and committing a single error.

As a basic comparison, Leeds Rhinos’ heralded second-row signing Greg Eastwood has carried 44 times for 301 metres, made 83 tackles and 11 marker tackles but has also missed 13 tackles and made two errors.

On this form, Langley will be crucial to a Bulls pack that relies very much on workrate and athleticism, rather than sheer size Scruton too appears to have made big strides, while Elliott Whitehead has developed into a genuine Super League starter and, in the backline, Rikki Sheriffe should be praised for his improvement.

Fortunes are looking up, but that focus on the basics must remain if one win is to become several.