Bulls' play-off hopes take a bashing as York win at Odsal

THE Bulls were beaten in their final home game of the Championship campaign today - and left hoping it’s a case of see you soon rather than farewell to Odsal for the year.

Defeat in a dogfight with York saw them knocked down to fifth after London comfortably saw off Widnes.

It’s the Broncos next up and then third-placed Sheffield - the toughest finale in the chase for the play-offs and, almost as importantly, a home start.

The Bulls have it all to do now to ensure they come back here again in 2023. They need to win one road trip to guarantee a ticket to the end-of-season shoot-out - and both if they want home advantage in the opening week.

The Bulls were without the influential Lee Gaskell with a hamstring issue he suffered against Featherstone. Tom Holmes moved across to the halves to cover his absence with Connor Wynne stepping up at full back.

Lee Greenwood refused to blame the disruption for coming out on the wrong side of an attritional battle against one of the division’s form sides.

He said: “It was two even teams going at it, but we just got some of the smaller things wrong.

“I wouldn’t say York schooled us but they kept it tight, kicked well and waited for us to crack.

“We didn’t put them under enough pressure when we were two points up. We let them off the hook with our last-tackle options.

“That was the same last week so it’s something we need to look at. It will keep hurting us in these tight games.

“We’ve now left ourselves needing to win at least one of these last two games. We’d have liked it to be sewn up but you’ve got a number of evenly-matched teams.”

Chester Butler made a welcome return in the second row following his fractured hand and Leeds loan winger Liam Tindall was also available.

But Jayden Myers was banned and prop Fenton Rogers had to sit out after failing an HIA against Featherstone.

The rivalry between the Bulls and Knights had built up since they both won promotion from League One in 2018 and they tended to be tight affairs.

It was no surprise this afternoon should be another nip-and-tuck contest before the final scoreline was inflated by a try on the hooter.

York arrived at Odsal having won seven out of eight to give them an outside shot of gatecrashing the top six. That made for a dangerous opponent.

Joe Arundel had the first scoring chance but was dragged down a couple of metres short on the last tackle.

But it was the visitors who struck first in controversial circumstances.

Liam Harris fed Myles Harrison on a jinking run under the posts - only for the ball to come loose as the full back reached for the line.

Keven Appo is held up in this afternoon's battle of attrition (Image: Tom Pearson.)

But having consulted his touch judge, who was flagging about the incident, ref Scott Mikalauskas then infuriated the Odsal crowd by awarding a penalty try for a Bulls infringement in the tackle.

Video of the incident later suggested that AJ Wallace had kicked the ball out of Harrison’s hands.

As the boos resounded in the crowd, the hosts responded in perfect fashion as Wynne swatted away two tackles to go in and level the scores.

And the Bulls edged in front midway through the half as Jordan Lilley was caught late by Conor Fitzsimmons as he got off a high kick. That was picked up by the ref - and Lilley slotted over the penalty.

Defences remained on top as York scrambled to deny Kieran Gill in the left corner. David Foggin-Johnston then nearly found a hole under the posts but was adjudged to have lost the ball in the tackle.

Mikalauskas continued to annoy the home fans and they were chuntering again when he blew for a high shot on Pauli Pauli, allowing Harris to kick the Knights level three minutes before the half-time hooter.

There was still time enough for York to threaten again but the Bulls protected their line under the late pressure to ensure the uncompromising contest reached the hooter on level terms.

There was nothing between the teams, although the home sense of injustice about the York try bubbled on and Mikalauskas was booed back to the changing rooms.

The Bulls lost David Foggin-Johnston to a concussion check at the start of the second half after taking a thump in a two-man tackle as he collected a towering Harris kick.

His replacement Eribe Doro, the latest player to put pen to paper for next season, announced his return with a couple of energetic bursts to take the Bulls within scoring range.

Gill could not come up with the ball as Lilley angled a kick to the line but the touch judge spotted he was tackled in the air and gave the penalty.

With every score at a premium, Lilley opted to take the two again and fired it over to restore the narrow advantage.

Billy Jowitt had a nibble at Harris at the ruck as the tension built. The Bulls faithful were still on the referee’s case - and let him know it when another hit on Gill as he took a high ball went unpunished.

Foggin-Johnston was cleared to return but it had become very scruffy with neither side seemingly able to keep hold of the ball for a completed set. Jowitt tried a grubber for Keven Appo near the line but it was easily smothered.

And York went back in front when former Cougar Brenden Santi spotted the Bulls were light on their right side.

Having worked the ball that way, Taylor Pemberton’s bouncing kick was pursued by a clutch of black shirts and left wing AJ Towse got the decisive touch. Harris was unable to add the touchline extras.

The final stages were getting feistier and Josh Daley was mobbed by his York team-mates when he forced Wallace, who had an indifferent game, to spill the ball on halfway.

Lilley then put a goal-line drop-out straight into touch and Harris instantly opted for the kick to build York’s advantage.

And with the Bulls unable to find another answer, Conor Fitzsimmons put the game to bed when he held off Doro to wriggle in by the posts right at the end.

BULLS: Wynne; Tindall, Arundel, Gill, Foggin-Johnston; Holmes, Lilley; Lawrence, Flanagan, Doro, Butler, Wallace, Baitieri. Interchange: Jowitt, Scurr, Appo, England.

YORK: Harrison; Towse, Clarkson, Dee, Pratt; Daley, Harris; Santi, Jubb, Ta’ai, Field, Kirmond, Thompson. Interchange: Fitzsimmons, Michael, Pauli, Pemberton.