The Bulls will not let their Leeds collapse sow any seeds of doubt.

Even though Thursday’s 20-20 draw at Leeds felt more like a point lost than one won, as the hosts were allowed to score 14 unanswered points in the final quarter, skipper Andy Lynch has taken confidence from the performance.

For an hour Bradford were significantly better than the reigning champions and put together the kind of potent attacking plays that have been absent in recent weeks.

It was as good as the Bulls have been this season and that, combined with the anger at throwing away a 20-6 lead, means they are raring to go against Crusaders on Monday.

“There is a feeling of disappointment about the Leeds result because it was definitely a point lost,” said Lynch.

“Leeds will be far happier with their overall performance than we are but we couldn’t have asked for a better first half.

“Everything we did came off and the things we worked on in training were all put into practice out on the field.

“The big thing is getting performances right and we showed we are starting to do that. If you get that right, the points will follow.

“We’ve got to carry on where we left off in the first half at Headingley and find a bit more consistency. If we do that, it’s steady away and we can start climbing the table.”

Lynch, echoing head coach Steve McNamara’s comments earlier in the week, emphasised the importance of backing up a good performance at Leeds.

On Monday, they will face a fresh, eager Crusaders side after their Thursday fixture against Harlequins was called off due to a waterlogged pitch in at The Gnoll in Neath.

But Lynch insists there is no risk of the Bulls being worn out when they take the pitch at Grattan Stadium.

He said: “Rest and recovery is the most important thing now to make sure we get ourselves right for Monday. We have a training session tomorrow and everyone’s keen to get out there again.

“If you’re not on your game you’re going to get beat, so we need to ensure we keep improving. It’s always tough to back-up but it will be a lot tougher considering their game was called off.”

The potential for a fall was never more evident than last season, when the Bulls were beaten 40-34 at home by Crusaders to hand them their first-ever Super League win.

A lot has changed since then and the Welsh side are a far more awkward prospect this time round.

Now coached by Bradford legend Brian Noble, they have made huge strides in 2010 and sit just three points behind the Bulls having played a game less.

Their solid start to the season has included wins against Hull, Catalans and Salford and they will be bolstered further by this week’s addition of experienced former NRL star Clinton Schifcofske.

And with Noble joined by fellow former Bulls Iestyn Harris and Martin Clawson on the coaching staff, Lynch expects another gruelling challenge.

He said: “They’re more or less a completely different team this year, so we just have to wipe last year’s game from our minds. They’re playing a lot better than last year and they’ve made some good signings.

“Nobby will have them fired up and, with Clogger and Iestyn on the coaching staff as well, they know a fair bit about us and what we’re about.”