Wilkin has already served a two-match ban this season

Bradford: (8) 10
Tries: St Hilaire
Goals: Deacon (2)

St Helens: (0) 4
Tries: Talau

Jon Wilkin was sent off as Super League leaders St Helens lost for the second game in a row in the rain at Bradford.

With his team already six points behind Wilkin saw red for a high tackle on Matt James around the hour mark.

Bradford's Marcus St Hilaire scored the only try of the first half, with Paul Deacon adding three goals.

Willie Talau scored for Saints but Wilkin's dismissal, which may rule him out of the Challenge Cup semi-final, ended their chances.

St Hilaire notched the first try just before the half-hour mark as Deacon's grubber kick left Ade Gardner floundering, and St Hilaire mopped up.

Wilkin had Saints' best first-half chance but was stopped in his tracks by a shuddering Michael Platt challenge.

St Helens' failure to score the first half, coming after they failed to score in the second half of their loss to Leeds, meant they had earned the unwanted statistic of a whole 80 minutes without scoring.

This seemed to rouse them into action after the restart, which culminated in Talau rounding off a burst of short quick passes with a try.

Saints were already six points adrift with 20 minutes to go when Wilkin saw red for a bludgeoning high challenge on replacement James.

Gardner looked to have made amends for his earlier blunder when he took a high kick over in the right-hand corner but Dave Halley did superbly to prevent him grounding the ball.

Saints ended the game on the front foot but they felt Wilkin's absence as Bradford did just enough to hold on for victory.

"The conditions were very difficult and the effort from both sides was outstanding.

"It's very difficult to play rugby league in those conditions.

"St Helens are a fantastic fluent side and probably the conditions hampered them a fair bit. Our defence was aggressive and strong and we forced some errors and capitalised on the conditions."

"I don't think he hit him flush on the chin. I think it came close to his chin but ricocheted off his chest.

"If he did, I stand corrected. But I've seen plenty worse against us this year and nothing gets done.

"I'm tired of inept officiating. We turn a blind eye to it every week - all of them, the referee, the touch judges and video refs.

"Because we're top of the comp, I reckon we get refereed more harshly than any other team."

Bradford: Platt, St Hilaire, McAvoy, B. Harris, Tupou, Morrison, Deacon, Vagana, Newton, Lynch, McKenna, Solomona, Langley. Replacements: Halley, James, Henderson, Burgess.