Gleeson magic sees off Bulls
Martin Gleeson scored a vital try and created another for Amos Roberts in the last six minutes as Wigan Warriors enjoyed a dramatic 20-14 victory at Bradford.
The Warriors had led 6-0 at the interval when Joel Tomkins followed up a superb break from his younger brother, Sam, and another touchdown by Pat Richards helped the visitors open up a 12-0 lead.
However, Bradford hit back through James Donaldson and Chris Nero, with the boot of Paul Deacon tying the scores, and the little half-back booted over a penalty with 10 minutes remaining to edge his side in front.
However Gleeson - back in the side after hamstring trouble - put Wigan back in front on 74 minutes with a neat try, and then slipped a beautiful pass out of the back door to send Roberts over for the clincher in the dying seconds.
Neither side would have been helped by a downfall just before kick off, which promised to make handling conditions extremely difficult.
And the wet surface prevented Wigan from making a flying start on two minutes when Thomas Leuluai's kick to the corner skidded off the turf and into touch with Pat Richards lurking.
Three minutes later it was the Bulls' turn to be denied when Michael Platt ran a great angle off Deacon and looked to be diving over under the posts, only for a combination of Cameron Phelps, Roberts and the left-hand upright to cause him to spill the ball over the line.
The Warriors forced a couple of drop outs on the back of good kicking from Leuluai, but the home defence was holding firm and Platt did well to halt Carmont after Leuluai had put him through a gap.
However, Wigan found the opening score on 22 minutes, Sam Tomkins finding a gap in the defence and sending his brother, Joel, under the sticks, Richards making no mistake with the conversion.
Bradford were claiming a response three minutes later when Nero sent Dave Halley over in the corner, only to be rightly called back for a forward pass.
The Bulls were again denied by referee Richard Silverwood four minutes before the break when Wayne Godwin burrowed his way over from dummy half only to be held up on his back.
And Wigan were lucky two minutes later when Deacon's kick was touched down by Jamie Langley the dead-ball line with the Warriors escaping with a 20-metre tap.
The visitors could not have got off to a worse start to the second half when Phelps dropped the kick right under his own posts, but good defence stopped the Bulls from hitting back.
And a rampaging run by Iafeta Paleaaesina set up the field position for Leuluai to send Richards over in the left-hand corner with a super cut-out pass.
Richards again converted, but the Bulls did cross the Wigan line 13 minutes into the second half when Donaldson reached over from close range, and Deacon's goal made it 12-6.
Bradford scored again midway through the second half when quick hands left saw Nero dive over, and Deacon's conversion from from the touchline restored parity.
Wigan conceded a soft penalty with 10 minutes left, Steve Menzies appearing to lose the ball in the tackle only to be given the benefit of the doubt by the official, and there was a sense of inevitability as Deacon's penalty from the touchline arrowed between the posts.
However, Wigan had enough fight in them to advance into Bulls territory for the only time in the second half, and Gleeson stepped out of a tackle to crash over before sending Roberts in on the hooter.
Bradford: Halley; Sheriffe, Menzies, Nero, Platt; Sykes, Deacon; Lynch, Newton, Scruton, Whitehead, Worrincy, Langley. Subs: Burgess, Godwin, Donaldson, Cook.
Wigan: Phelps; Roberts, Gleeson, Carmont, Richards; Tomkins, Leuluai; Coley, Riddell, Prescott, Hansen, Bailey, Tomkins. Subs: Fielden, Paleaaesina, Goulding, Mossop.
Referee: Richard Silverwood.
See Monday's Wigan Evening Post for match reaction and photographs.
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
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