FLYNN McNaughton bagged an impressive brace as York City reserves’ season ended with a 3-2 triumph over Doncaster at Bootham Crescent.

Both sides had earlier converted penalties through Jacob Fletcher and Josh Berry, before McNaughton struck twice.

City keeper Ryan Whitley went on to save the afternoon’s third penalty, before an unnamed Doncaster trialist reduced the deficit late on.

Teenage pair Vinnie Steels and McNaughton were the only home players with first-team experience, following the previous day’s out-of-contract cull.

Doncaster included three in their starting line-up with League One experience under their belt this season – Fletcher, Danny Andrew and Tyler Garratt – while Cody Prior had also featured in the Football League Trophy.

The visitors made all the early running, but Andrew and Prior were both wayward with long-range attempts, before Fletcher opened the scoring on 19 minutes from the penalty spot.

Josh Rogerson, trying his best to get back and challenge a clear-through Reeves Boocock, only succeeded in leaning into the Rovers striker and Fletcher firmly despatched the resulting spot kick into Ryan Whitley’s bottom-left corner.

Shortly afterwards, the away team’s trialist dragged wide from 15 yards and then forced Whitley into a parry, which saw Myron Gibbons sidefoot over an empty goal from the rebound.

Fletcher also lifted an edge-of-the-box effort over after cleverly working himself into an opening and Gibbons called Whitley into action at his near post, before testing the home keeper reflexes more seriously with a strong drive that was impressively pushed behind.

From the resulting Andrew corner, Fletcher headed wide at the near post.

After the interval, Doncaster’s trialist glanced a header inches wide from Andrew’s left-wing cross.

But the hosts drew level on 52 minutes when McNaughton set off on a good run through the left channel and squared for Aston Harrison, who was shoved over by Cameron Baldock-Smith.

Berry firmly drove the resulting penalty to Doncaster keeper Louis Jones’ left.

Moments later, Berry headed over from a Steels cross and, on 56 minutes, the Minstermen forged in front with a brilliant 25-yard shot on the turn by McNaughton that found Jones’ bottom-right corner after Jake Watson had raided down the left.

At the other end, Fletcher cleared the crossbar and Boocock shot straight at Whitley with a one-on-one opportunity.

After unhappy Doncaster first-team boss Darren Ferguson made his way from the directors’ box to the dugout to instruct the visitors to pass the ball more, Berry then drove wide from distance for City.

Gibbons should have done better for Rovers when he blazed over after springing the offside trap through the right channel.

But the away side had a great chance to level on 72 minutes after Jack Cawthorn slid into a tackle on the trialist and took his legs instead of the ball.

Fletcher again assumed responsibility from 12 yards, but his shot down the middle was comfortably parried away by Whitley.

An injury to left-back Watson, meanwhile, meant youth-team keeper Joe Wilton, the only home sub, played the remainder of the match as a makeshift forward.

It was his striking partner, though, who got his name on the scoresheet again on 78 minutes with another excellent goal.

Chasing Harry Thompson’s ball down the right channel, McNaughton cut inside Baldock-Smith before firing a clinical ten-yard finish into Jones’ bottom-right corner.

Steels then tried to beat Jones at his near post, before the Rovers trialist rounded Whitley and hit the outside of an upright from a narrowing angle.

The trialist did go on to get a consolation, however, with a scrambled 85th-minute effort.

City: Whitley, Kemp, Cawthorn, Rogerson, Watson (Wilton, 73), Berry, Dyer, Thompson, Steels, McNaughton, Harrison.