Salford City Reds 56 Bradford Bulls 16: Bulls humiliated in 10-try romp

Bulls captain Andy Lynch powered over after just 90 seconds when Ray Cashmere fumbled in the first tackle of the match.

Marc Herbert added the conversion but after that it was all stylish Salford as a succession of poor Bradford handling errors and ill-discipline – granted, James Child was referee – led to the hosts running in four first half efforts.

It got worse after the break when ex-Leeds Rhinos centre Ashley Gibson completed his hat-trick and the rampant hosts ran amok, making it a happy first meeting with their former side for ex-Bulls duo Wayne Godwin and Chris Nero.

Brilliant Daniel Holdsworth was key in orchestrating lacklustre Bulls’ downfall, the Australian half-back slicing over for their first in the 15th minute and then floating a lovely pass for Mark Henry to score immediately afterwards when Herbert inexplicably sailed the re-start dead.

Holdsworth’s ex-Canterbury team-mate was also a regular threat, the classy full-back delivering a well-delayed pass for Ashley Gibson to expose weak defence on 24 minutes and then surging through himself to set up in-form Jodie Broughton just before the break.

Holdsworth converted but Bradford got the second period off to an even quicker stat when Herbert latched on to Matt Diskin’s duumy half raid to racec 45 metres after just 54 seconds.

Bryn Hargreaves thought he had reduced the lead further in the 45th minute when he eased over but Herbert’s pass was harshly deemed forward.

Salford had heeded their warning. Holdsworth bounced off another feeble tackle attempt to let Matt Smith dive over and then they added a sixth try on the hour mark when a slick right-side move saw Gibson shrug off Sykes and motor in from halfway.

He completed his hat-trick after more slick passing from Smith, Holdsworth and Patten cut open Bradford while Stefan Ratchford got on the scoresheet after Patten stole possesson from Tom Olbison.

Henry ran in his second after Stephen Wild splintered more woeful defence through the middle.

Herbert picked up a rare mis-placed Salford pass to run in his seocnd try at the death, adding the goal, but Salford showed great defence to hold up Chev Walker and prevent anymore gloss being taken off their emphatic performance.

Luke Adamson completed the rout in the final second, the stellar Holdsworth slotting his eighth goal as Salford moved above the ninth-placed West Yorkshire club.

Salford: Patten; Broughton, Gibson, Ratchford, Henry; Smith, Holdsworth; Cashmere, Godwin, Boyle, Nero, Anderson, Wild. Substitutes: Adamson, Palea’aesina, Sidlow, Sneyd.

Bradford: Kearney; Raynor, Sykes, Walker, Ainscough; Briggs, Herbert; Lynch, L’Estrange, Kopczak, Elima, Whitehead, Olbison. Substitutes: Diskin, Hargreaves, Donaldson, Burgess.

Referee: James Child (Dewsbury)