Paul sets up winning sprint
Oldham 10 Bradford Bulls 3
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Your support makes all the difference.Oldham lost a league match at their bleak Watersheddings ground for the first time since October-an outcome that was inevitable from the first few minutes when the Bradford captain,Robbie Paul,took them apart three times.
On the sort of night that summer rugby was meant to make a thing of the past - Bradford saw snow on their way over the Pennines - Oldham were the ones who found the ball impossible to handle in the opening stages.
Twice in the first five minutes the Bulls took maximum advantage of squandered possession.Paul was the architect of both tries, his long passes opening up Oldham on the left for first Jon Scales and then Paul Loughlin to score, even if that second try se emed to involve a forward pass.
Oldham could have no complaints about the next, Paul wriggling out of the tackle to set up Brian McDermott. Oldham were embarrassingly inept in defence and were exposed again when Scales got to Laughlin's grubber kick for his second try.
The home side had little in the way of attacking ideas apart from launching high kicks at the Bradford fullback, Nathan Graham.When he failed to get to one of them, Darren Abram recovered the ball and David Bradbury charged in to hint at the possibility of a better second half.
Instead, Bradford hit them again after the break, James Lowes starting a flowing move with a dazzling run and long pass to the wing and Bernard Dwyer arriving in support to finish it off.Before Oldham could recover, Paul's deft short pass had sent Graeme Bradley in for Bradford's 6th try.
Already badly affected by injuries, Oldham lost David Bradbury, Francis Maloney and Abram during the match to make it an even more depressing evening for their coach, Andy Goodway.
Matt Munro went over from close range for a late Oldham try but their had been no way back into this game for them after their dreadful start. OLDHAM; Atcheson; Belle, Abram, Topping, Smith, Maloney, Gartland, Gilvarc, Clarke, Richards, Faimalo, Munro, Bradbury. Subs: Sheratt, Davidson, Patmore, Lord. BRADFORD; Graham; Hassan, Calland, Loughlin, Scales, Bradley, Paul, McDermott, Lowes, Fairbank, Donougher, Dwyer, McNamara. Subs: Longo, Cook, Hamer, Knox. Referee: R Connolly (Wigan).
Leeds won their second match of the Super League season 40-14 at Paris St-Germain last night.
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