Salford City Reds 56 Bradford Bulls 16: Lynch rips into sorry Bradford after loss to Salford

However, dubious fans of both famous rivals may not expect too much when they meet again on Thursday, each probably hoping simply for two points in whatever manner they materialise.

The way in which slack Bradford failed to protect possession of the ball in a humiliating display on Saturday would have been eye-catching in its severity if Leeds had not done exactly the same the night before.

The ease with which Salford – supposedly a club in crisis – then opened the paperthin Bulls defence was similarly concerning as the outstanding Daniel Holdsworth and crafty Australian full-back Luke Patten picked them apart at will.

Woeful Bradford conceded 10 tries as their unfancied hosts, who have had head coach Shaun McRae on sick leave since February and assistant Malcolm Alker in dispute with the club for nearly a fortnight, were made to look like the ‘82 Kangaroos Invincibles.

“It was embarrassing – to lose by 56 points to Salford,” captain Andy Lynch told the Yorkshire Post.

“If we stuck to the plan we’re supposed to for 80 minutes we’d be putting in far better performances.

“But we’re dropping too much ball, having it ripped on the first tackle, not getting our tackle technique right, and when one gets it wrong the whole line goes out.

“They just capitalised on our mistakes and our ill-discipline. We’ve got to cut that out.

“Everyone is massively disappointed in there but we have to be tough on each other. It’s the only way to get better – we can’t be soft saying everything will be all right.”

Lynch barrelled over after just 90 seconds to get his side off to the perfect start, struggling Salford looking set for a typical performance when Ray Cashmere lost possession in the first tackle of the match.

Bradford scored even faster in the second period, Marc Herbert brilliantly sprinting in after only 56 seconds following excellent work from Matt Diskin.

The problem was, by that point, they were 24-6 down after their chain of unforced errors had allowed Salford to run in four unanswered first-half tries.

Every time Bradford gained good field position they continually wasted it with poor execution, Olivier Elima, Paul Sykes, James Donaldson and Kyle Briggs all squandering it hopelessly.

Even a side as out of sorts as Salford – they had ex-Bulls assistant Phil Veivers in temporary charge and had won just three times previously this season – would eventually garner confidence from such gifts and in clinical stand-off Holdsworth they had just the man to profit.

The City Reds captain was a class above anything else on the pitch, even his former Canterbury Bulldogs team-mate Patten who had a hand in so many of their tries and ex-Leeds Rhinos centre Ashley Gibson who scored a hat-trick.

Holdsworth showed great strength to get over for their first in the15th minute and then floated a lovely pass for Mark Henry to score immediately afterwards when Herbert inexplicably sailed the re-start dead, the sort of elementary error which kills sides.

Patten’s subtle pass for Gibson highlighted more weak defence and then he broke clear to supply the prolific Jodie Broughton.

Bradford, who re-appeared with more conviction could point to Bryn Hargreaves’s disallowed try on 45 minutes as a turning point, Herbert’s pass harshly deemed forward when it could have brought them back to 24-12.

Salford made the most of their let-off. Holdsworth bounced off another feeble tackle attempt to let Matty Smith dive over, Gibson shrugged off an awful Sykes tackle to motor in from halfway and completed his hat-trick after more slick passing from Smith, Holdsworth and Patten.

Their next try summed up Bradford’s malaise. Salford splintered their right side again with ease but the final ball – for once – went awry and landed in the arms of Tom Olbison.

The young Bulls loose forward strode forward only, however, to see the intelligent Patten immediately rip possession back and moments later Stefan Ratchford was in.

Henry and Luke Adamson scored further tries either side of Herbert’s second and Holdsworth finished with eight goals as Bradford dropped down to 10th in the table.

Despite their horrors in their last-ever fixture at The Willows – it was Salford’s biggest ever Super League win – Lynch remains confident the traditional Easter Thursday encounter at Headingley could yet be vintage.

“Even though we’re both going in out of form I think it could turn out to be a cracking, fiery game as we’ll be both so desperate to put it right,” said the experienced prop.

“Leeds will be the same, smarting after losing like they did to Huddersfield.

“The one good thing is we’ve got a short turnaround and there’s no one better than them to put it right against. It’s a massive game.”

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

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

Referee: J Child (Dewsbury).