GARY THORNTON has denied Good Friday's Kingstone Press League One clash between Doncaster and York City Knights is a "grudge match" - saying he was proud of his time in the Minster city.

It will be the first time Thornton - who took over at the struggling Dons last season but could not prevent relegation - has gone up against York since he was controversially axed at the end of 2014, with his then number two, James Ford, handed the reins.

Thornton had been named the League One Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to the league leaders' crown, but his contract was not renewed after they crashed out of the promotion play-offs.

Additionally, four Doncaster players moved to York this winter with Jordan Howden going the other way, while Ford further fanned the flames this week when questioning Thornton's use of big-name dual-reg Hull players at the Keepmoat Stadium so far this term.

Thornton, though, did not want a war of words.

"I don't see it as a grudge match," he said. "I won a championship and was Coach of the Year at York and was delighted with my time there.

"For me it's 17 versus 17 and that's how I want it to stay.

"There is maybe added spice because of ex-Doncaster players at York - Richard Wilkinson, Russ Spiers, Mike Emmett and Brett Waller - who might want to prove a point, but as far as I'm concerned it's another game.

"Both clubs will want bragging rights but there's a long way to go and a number of teams will be involved. From my experience - and York's - it's not about what happens in March but what happens at the back end of the year."

Ford had queried Thornton's selection of Hull's Kiwi prop Iafeta Paleaaesina, twice, and fellow veteran Kirk Yeaman, once, so far this term, particularly against minnows Gloucestershire All Golds. He said dual-reg should be "for up-and-coming players, not players who have already made their name in Super League".

But Thornton countered: "We've got a lot of injuries - about 15 were on the treatment table on Tuesday. It's been tough, and we're pretty much down to our bare bones on Friday.

"I saw James Ford's comments. Is this the same James Ford that used Michael Channing and James Clare from Castleford so often last year? We've also got 29 players, by the way, not '30-odd'.

"Because of injuries, we called in DR. Makali Aizue had a knee injury so we needed a prop. It was the same with (centre) Kirk Yeaman coming over. I was without a centre for three weeks - we were covering injury and unavailability.

"These players aren't available over Easter, which you expect with DR, but we have got two DR players who are both 19."

That pair are Reece Dean and Harry Tyson-Wilson, who come in after ex-York full-back Tom Carr joined ex-York half-back Jordan Howden on the treatment table. Top points-scorer Carr is out for six weeks with a shoulder injury and Howden has not featured due to a hip problem.

Another ex-York player, Mark Castle, is also out, though fellow former Knights Matt Nicholson and Joe Pickets are involved.

PNG centre Jason Tali, a big-name off-season signing, only landed in England this week after visa issues and will not be thrown in.

Pickets, a back-row hard man at Huntington Stadium, was sent off in last week's Challenge Cup defeat to Hunslet for allegedly stamping on Hunslet's ex-Knight, Lee Waterman, but is yet to face a disciplinary hearing. Thornton said the red card was "harsh" though conceded his team's display, after four wins, was still below par.

"On the day I did think, 'What are you doing Joe?' But, having watched it back, it was harsh," he said.

"Lee Waterman is on the floor and Joe's trying to get up and play the ball quickly, and Lee's head is close to where Joe's foot goes down. If there was contact it was accidental but Lee's reaction could have influenced the referee."

Doncaster: from Dean, Sheriff, Cook, L Welham, M Welham, Tyson-Wilson, Hedges, Scott, Frankland, Nicholson, Foster

Tonks, Pickets, Kesik, Aizue, Williams, Cross, Braham, Walton.