Caretaker boss Lee St Hilaire believes the Bulls’ 30-26 defeat against Salford reflected a tumultuous week at the club.

Within the space of seven days Bradford parted ways with head coach Steve McNamara, put St Hilaire in charge until the end of the season, then unveiled Mick Potter as chief for 2011.

All that upheaval led to a fairly chaotic display on the pitch, the players highlighting both their best and worst at different times.

Having fallen behind 18-4 and 30-14, they fought back to come within a whisker of victory thanks to three late tries in a five-minute spell but ultimately suffered a ninth straight defeat.

St Hilaire said: “We had a tough start to the week and we finished it a little bit tough as well.

“At the start of the week, losing your head coach is difficult. Then we had another loss at the club when Dave Halley had a bereavement, so the week’s been tough.

“I think the game was a reflection of that.

“Once we got our roll on we were hard to handle. We just missed that cutting edge at the right time and overplayed at crucial moments.”

St Hilaire – who confirmed last Friday’s exclusive story in the T&A that he had signed a deal to remain as assistant coach under Mick Potter next season – pointed to the sides’ respective pivots as the difference between them.

Without Paul Sykes, the Bulls were forced to move Brett Kearney to stand-off, alongside inexperienced 19-year-old Danny Addy, usually a back-rower by trade.

Salford, on the other hand, could rely on the settled triumvirate of Daniel Holdsoworth and Matty Smith, with Malcolm Alker at hooker, and looked far more clinical in attack.

“It helps when you’ve got a quality six in Daniel Holdsworth who was running them around and Matty Smith’s had a good game, while Malcolm Alker’s been around for a million years,” said the Bulls caretaker boss.

“When you’ve got those three guys in place you go a long way to winning the ball game.

“We had a lot of time in their half. We’ve got a young lad in Danny Addy who’s stepping up to the plate and needs to find a little bit of edge about what he’s doing.”