Salford 0, Bulls 7

For once, Bradford were not left weeping at The Willows as they whittled out a win from an incredibly tight encounter.

It wasn’t pretty but the Bulls’ 7-0 triumph over Salford was their first win there in four attempts and keeps the momentum building as they aim to climb the Super League table.

In truth, they could and should have been out of sight by the time the whistle had been blown for half-time but appeared determined to make it hard on themselves.

A mountain of possession failed to yield results and enormous credit goes to Salford for their resilience and determination.

After tackling for almost all of the first 40 minutes, they found enough energy to turn the tables in the second half, yet could not fully punish the visitors.

A solid defence effort and a zero in the opposition scorebox will at least have given Steve McNamara a great deal of pleasure.

The Bulls made as good a start as they could have hoped for, Willie Talau allowing Paul Sykes’ kick-off to bounce before finding touch inside the 20-metre line.

But they did not make enough of that glorious opportunity, Dave Halley knocking on to gift Salford a reprieve.

After regaining possession and earning a penalty for their troubles, Bradford charged forward again on the next set, only for another chance to go begging.

Heath L’Estrange attacked the line from dummy half on the second tackle and his beautifully delayed pass sent Brett Kearney bursting towards the try-line. The Aussie stand-off was stopped just short and when all he needed to do was hold on, the ball fell loose.

But with Salford barely able to escape their own half, the pressure only continued to mount.

The Bulls’ kicking game was a major source of the hosts’ problems and Rikki Sheriffe agonisingly failed to get his hands on a delightful grubber from Kearney which skidded across the in-goal, while Ashley Gibson dealt well with Matt Orford’s neat chip as Stuart Reardon lurked.

Salford finally got out of their half thanks only to a Bulls error, Glenn Hall knocking on with his first touch of the ball, yet there was a strong sense of inevitability as that attack quickly broke down and Bradford finally converted possession into points.

It was a superb break from Kearney that finally tipped the scales. With barely enough room to manoeuvre, the former Cronulla speedster spotted his chance and blasted between two would-be tacklers before freeing his hands to feed Sykes.

The centre juggled, claimed and then sent in Steve Menzies for a thoroughly deserved try, although Orford could not improve the score. Still, there was another couple of shaky moments before the interval.

A penalty conceded for offside on their own 40-metre line gave the City Reds a glimmer of hope but the Bulls muscled up well on their own try-line.

Just as Daniel Holdsworth’s long, cut-out pass appeared to have opened up a chance, the left-side defence – so ruthlessly exposed by both Huddersfield and St Helens – slid across to close the space and Gibson was bundled into touch.

The solid defensive work continued when a huge hit from Jamie Langley allowed Orford to steal possession on the next set, while a Menzies interception on the stroke of half-time so nearly reaped huge rewards.

Gifted possession near halfway, the veteran Aussie could not believe his luck and, knowing the odds were against him reaching the opposite end of the field, he quickly off-loaded to Halley.

The Bulls full back made a quick 30 metres and found the supporting Sheriffe but, struggling somewhat with a tweaked hamstring, he was soon wrapped up by the recovering Salford defence.

Unable to continue, Sheriffe was removed at the break, necessitating a quick reshuffle for the start of the second half. Halley shifted across to take his spot on the right wing, Sykes dropped to full back and Menzies moved to centre, his place at loose forward taken by James Donaldson.

And whether it was the wholesale changes or Salford’s renewed vigour, the Bulls made a somewhat sluggish start to the second half.

Salford started to do the basics well, regularly completing sets for the first time in the game and finally allowing Stefan Ratchford to get in a couple of useful kicks.

An excellent kick-chase kept the Bulls pinned back inside their own half and that hard work really should have paid off, yet Mark Henry could not keep hold of Daniel Holdsworth’s pass as the try-line came into view.

In comparison, the Bulls could not build up enough momentum. Reardon let a pass from Chris Nero slip from his grasp in their only chance of note during the third quarter of the game, while an Orford pass sailed into touch to compound the frustration.

When L’Estrange and Donaldson contrived to knock on from a play-the-ball deep inside their own half, it seemed Bradford were nearing breaking point.

Salford went on the hunt but they too were thwarted by a lack of accuracy, Ratchford dropping an awful, low pass from Holdsworth as gaps appeared to be opening in the line.

Keen to take any points they could get, the Bulls did just that. Salford were penalised for crossing on their own 30-metre line and Orford stepped up to slot the two points.

But that was only a momentary release for the Bulls and they faced some nervy moments defending their own line throughout the final ten minutes.

A stunning tackle from Sykes prevented an almost certain try for Ratchford and Nero provided a booming hit to knock the ball out of Henry’s grasp on the next tackle.

It proved the decisive play. In the next set, Bradford crept up field and Sykes popped up to hammer a drop goal straight between the posts, finally settling the arm wrestle in the Bulls’ favour.