EVEN for the occasional visitor, the feeling that Odsal exists in its own time capsule, as well as micro-climate, can be hard to shake off. Changes do happen - witness the rather odd Coral Stand that materialised at one end of the ground a few years ago - but there isn’t much about the place that wouldn’t be familiar to a spectator from, well, just about any time since they decided this was the spot for a rugby league ground, back in 1934. It was a municipal tip then, a fact that seems to become more pertinent with every passing year.

For Paul Sykes, however, walking back through the gates and looking down into the familiar bowl felt like coming home. Which, as a product of the Bulls academy, it very much was before the club let him move to London. Six years later, personal circumstances dictated a return to the north, which is increasingly looking as though it could prove to be one of the season’s better pieces of business, for both player and club.

“Although most of the playing and coaching personnel had changed, there were a lot of familiar faces behind the scenes, and it felt so good to be back. I’d have been disappointed if it had been a real struggle to fit in,” admitted the England and Great Britain international after Bradford completed their preparations for today’s tough-looking fixture at Hull Kingston Rovers.

That they do so with the confidence that comes from a run of three successive victories, and five wins in their past six games, is an indication that Sykes and the other new faces in the side are bedding in nicely. As the centre points out, the Bulls coach, Steve McNamara, was unlikely to risk bringing in a player whose style wouldn’t suit the sort of team he is developing.

“It’s worked in a number of ways. I’m a direct sort of player, which Steve likes,” says Sykes. “I’ve got a bit of pace with the wind behind me, and after years when the team’s big threat has been perceived as being on the left, with Shontayne Hape working with Lesley Vainikolo, Steve was keen to give the team more options on the right. Hopefully the partnership between myself and James Evans is starting to do that.”

Six tries from nine games is a decent start for the centre, but it is the recent form of the team which gives Sykes most encouragement. “The last few games we’ve won we’ve played much better than in the games we were winning before,” he says. “Since getting well beaten by Leeds, we’ve gone back to basics, cut out the errors, looked to complete our sets, tried not to force games, and we look and feel a better team.”

The slow but noticeable improvement in playing conditions has helped, Sykes confirms. “As individuals, every player in every team would say they prefer firm ground, but at the same time the weather, and the grounds, have been so poor they were definitely an equalising factor. Of course it was the same for both teams but a lot of games became arm-wrestles in the mud. Games can be won or lost in some strange ways.”

McNamara agrees. “I’d say in the first nine weeks of what has effectively been winter rugby we’ve managed to hang in there, and looking at things now we’re in a reasonable position,” the coach said. “Of course we’d love to be sitting top, like Leeds, but we’ve had our problems to deal with.” One of those problems has been injuries, with Michael Platt, Tame Tupou, Joe Vagana and Glenn Morrison missing for long periods.

As the regular kicker for Harlequins, and the holder of the club’s record for most successful goal-kicks in a Super League match with 12, Sykes admits it is not easy watching Paul Deacon lining the ball up for the Bulls: “There’s the argument that it lets me concentrate on what I’m there to do but I always enjoyed the pressure, so I’m keeping up the practice, just in case.”

That Deacon will be missing today after undergoing a minor cartilage operation will give Sykes a chance to further emphasise his value to the side.

Hull KR v Bradford Bulls, today, 3pm