ALTHOUGH Bulls head coach John Kear was delighted with the two points after their 26-14 home win over Barrow Raiders yesterday, he was not a happy Easter bunny on two other counts.

The first brickbat was for the game’s bosses for scheduling two matches in four days over the bank holiday weekend and the second was a difference of opinion over the dismissal of second-row forward Connor Farrell for an elbowing offence in the last minute.

Kear said of the scheduling: “People have got to start looking at the people who pay in.

“The fare on Monday is always poorer than the fare that all teams bring on Good Friday, and they need to start thinking about that.

“When we charge people good money to come in, it (the game) needs to be of a good standard, and I don’t think that it was a good standard here.

“I am not having a dig at the officials at all, but the evidence is there for all to see.”

It was Bradford and Barrow’s second match in four days, both of which were played in temperatures that were in the mid-20s.

Kear added: “It was very tough for both teams, and you have to credit both teams for committing as much as they did but I thought the standard of the game was pretty poor.

“It was very slow but whether that was down to the players’ mental or physical fatigue or the guy who controlled the game I don’t know, but what I do know is that it was a very slow, stop-start game that was very reminiscent of the game here last year against London Skolars.

“There was just no continuity or flow. Barrow were very physical. They are a big set who really come at you and you have got to attempt to stand up to that, and we did that for the majority.

“I was really pleased with the first half when we went in 10-0 but in the second half we got dragged into this stop-start type of rugby. However, we got a very ugly win.”

Farrell was dismissed by referee Nick Bennett for an elbow on Raiders half-back Jamie Dallimore, and Kear said: “I am happy about the win but not so happy about the sending off.

“We have had a good look at the incident on our lap-tops and I think that he has been pretty harshly dealt with to tell you the truth.

“We will be contacting the match review people and putting our case forward

“If two would have gone I would have understood it or if the opposition player had gone I would have understood it but it is a little bit of a mystery for me.”