Bradford Bulls 52 Workington Town 16: Workington Town put up a brave fight but remain rooted to the foot of the Kingstone Press Championship table after slumping a fifth successive league defeat at Bradford Bulls.

The first of three successive games in Yorkshire was never going to be easy for a side which hasn’t won at Odsal since 1976 and nowadays face a full-time Bulls outfit intent on a return to the Super League at the second attempt.

A notably committed first half display saw Town more than holding their own until three quick-fire home tries helped the Bulls to a 22-10 interval lead.

After the break Town toiled hard but struggled to contain an increasingly confident Bradford side which brushed aside the off-field uncertainties caused by James Lowes announcing that he was standing down as head coach earlier in the week to run in six more tries with just one reply.

Phil Veivers was able to welcome back Perry Whiteley to bolster his part-timers pack against their hard-running full-time opponents, although the hoped for return of Jarrad Stack and Tee Ritson never materialized.

But the withdrawal late in the week of play-maker and leading try scorer Jarrod Sammut, who made over 40 appearances for the Bradford in two seasons at Odsal, was perhaps the major pre-match blow to the Cumbrians’ hopes .

Workington began strongly and forced a drop out on at the end of their first set when Bulls full-back Oscar Thomas failed to deal with a high Carl Forber bomb under his own posts.

It came to nothing and barely a minute later it took a strong defensive effort to prevent Omari Caro from crossing for the Yorkshire side at the other end.

It was symptomatic of an encouraging early start from the Cumbrians who gave as good as they got and deservedly went ahead when an incisive scurry from Graeme Mattinson at dummy half opened the field up for Jason Mossop to put Chris Murphy over in the corner.

Forber was unable to land the subsequent touchline conversion but Mossop and Murphy almost repeated the act shortly afterwards, only for the final pass to be called forward.

Bradford finally hit back when a sparkling handling move ended with Adam O’Brien putting Mitch Clark over by the posts with Danny Addy adding the first of his six conversions.

But Town’s commendable opening 25-minute effort was rendered to little avail as the Bulls struck three times in a devastating six-minute spell.

Danny Williams, in his first appearance of the season for the Bulls following a hand injury, rose and plucked a high Addy kick from the grasp of opposite number Chris Murphy before turning and striding across the whitewash.

A neat Addy inside pass put Adrian Purtell over, then James Clare touched down despite a sterling effort to haul him back into the field of play from Chris Murphy.

Suddenly Veivers side were trailing 22-4 and, as the penalty count also began to mount against Town, their brave early resistance looked in danger of crumbling.

But a fine Mossop solo run took the fleet of foot centre within inches before a crisp handling move to and a long Jamie Doran cut-out final pass enabled Chris Murphy to score his second try in the corner, Forber this time getting his angles right with the kick to check Bradford’s momentum.

It could have got even better for the visitors had on-loan from Salford loose forward Matthew Gee not lost control as he rolled over in a tackle while attempting to ground the ball.

Town began the second half much as they had the first with Danny Hulme going close, only for a handling error to lead to Omari Caro breaking down the wing for Kris Welham to complete a 70-metre touchline with his

This time Bulls had no intention of letting their opponents back in and Williams claimed his second try, before Caro (twice), Oscar Thomas and Dale Ferguson further punished an increasingly tiring Town side.

There was still some courageous defence to repel the now rampaging Bulls, most notably a determined chase and tackle by Jack Murphy to deny the speedy Williams what would have been an 80-metre breakaway try.

Murphy was rewarded with a try of his own, crashing onto a neat Forber pass, the Town stand-off adding further respectability with his second conversion.

Bradford Bulls: Thomas, Caro, Clare, Welham, Williams, Purtell (c), Addy, Clough, O’Brien, Fleming, Olbison, Haggerty, Pitts. Subs: Ferguson, Clark, Crossley, Mellor.

Tries: Clark (17), Williams (26, 47), Purtell (29), Clare (32), Welham (44), Caro (52, 76), Thomas (68), Ferguson (79); Goals: Addy 6/10

Workington Town: J Murphy, C Murphy, Hulme, Mossop, Carter, Forber, Doran, Shackley, Mattinson, Gordon, B Phillips, Whiteley, Gee. Subs: C Phillips, Verlinden, Szostak, Walker.

Tries: Chris Murphy (10, 37), Jack Murphy (64); Goals: Forber 2/3.

Referee: Chris Campbell (Widnes)

Attendance: 3,467