DONCASTER coach Gary Thornton described his side's 82-6 defeat by Toronto Wolfpack last weekend as the worst result of his career.

Embarrassed and full of apologies, he had never seen a side under his stewardship torn apart so brutally.

Unfortunately for York City Knights, it now means Thornton is seeking an Easter resurrection.

"It’s always nice to go back to a former club and do well," he reflected, ahead of today's Kingstone Press League One clash between Doncaster and York at Bootham Crescent. "We went there last year and put in a good performance so I’m looking for something similar.

"There has been a bit of soul searching going on since Sunday and I’m looking for a reaction," he admitted. "We have to take all the hurt and use that as a motivation against York.

"I’ve been involved in some heavy defeats in my time but nothing quite like that," he said. "It was embarrassing for all of us as a group as we wanted to put on a good show.

"The York game was always going to be important - but it’s even more so now! We have to go out there and show that we’re so much better than what we showed against Toronto."

Under Thornton, York won the League One title in 2014 but lost to Hunslet Hawks in the play-offs.

Failure to win promotion that season ultimately cost him his job and opened door for assistant-coach James Ford to take the reins.

While the pair are no longer in regular contact, Ford had a degree of sympathy for his former boss when learning of Toronto's landslide win.

"No disrespect to Doncaster but that sort of a result was always going to happen to some team when they played Toronto this season," said Ford.

"They have got a team that would beat many in the Championship," he added. "It will be a surprise if that sort of result is a one-off; Toronto are so strong they could even be a match for some teams in the Super League.

"But I know Doncaster will be sore, Gary is a proud bloke, and they will want to respond," he said. "No club likes getting beaten that way.

"We know exactly what to expect from them. They will come hard at our middle and it's up to our lads in the middle to rise to that challenge and get the contact levels where they need to be. Doncaster are a really good team but, if we play to our strengths, we are capable of winning the game."

Putting on-the-field rivalries to one side, Ford also revealed that both Thornton and Doncaster chief executive Carl Hall had offered support to York during the turmoil that engulfed the club last season.

"When it looked like we could possibly be folding, both Gary and Carl Hall got in touch," said Ford. "Carl rang me to tell how they had come through similar troubles. That was a nice touch and something I was very thankful for.

"We had had a minor fall out in the past but it was a really nice touch. The world of rugby league is full of really good people and that call lifted my spirits."