REPORT: Grit and mental strength in bucket-loads as York City Knights bounce back to defeat Doncaster

This time they had it in bucket-loads to beat old rivals and promotion hopefuls Doncaster 16-8 in a Bootham Crescent battle of nerve.

Both teams had sought a response to sorry shows last Sunday, with Donny having been hammered 82-6 by big-spending title certainties Toronto while the Knights were falling to an expansion club in a southern shire.

But while neither team would have been happy with their handling or fluidity in attack, York’s attitude in abundance was the key difference, restricting Gary Thornton’s men to just one close-range barge-over try.

The Knights had not deserved to lose to North Wales here, and how they fell to Oxford was also a mystery. There were times when it looked like this one would slip away too against the general run of play, but this time when they needed to dig in, they did do.

Indeed the try that sealed victory came from the depths.

Having defended a set on their goalline, Ash Robson shepherded a low kick dead and immediately got York on the front foot with a rapid 20-metre restart, catching out the sluggish Dons, before sending Nick Rawsthorne flying up the wing.

He was hauled down but the set ended with Harry Tyson-Wilson chipping back to Rawsthorne’s flank where the on-loan Hull winger outjumped his man and touched down to send the biggest home crowd in over a year wild.

Head coach James Ford had rung the changes after the Oxford debacle, although four of the seven alterations had been forced.

Harry Carter (calf) was ruled out, while dual-reg Hull KR trio Liam Harris, Will Jubb and Kieran Moran – the latter being one of the few players to come off last week’s field with his head up – were also unavailable, pencilled in for Hull KR’s team that takes on Toulouse in the Championship on Easter Monday.

Bobby Tyson-Wilson, Tommy Brierley and Nev Morrison were the main ones to pay the price for last week’s loss.

Full-back Robson, winger Dee Foggin-Johnston, hookers Andy Ellis and Pat Smith, and forwards Adam Robinson and Joe Porter were all back from injury or illness, while Brad Clavering – another dual-reg recruit – made his debut.

The energy and nous the incomers brought were key, while Clavering showed he could be a big handful. Player of the Month Robinson lasted only 10 minutes, though, and he is set for another spell on the sidelines with broken ribs.

Dons boss Gary Thornton also made a number of changes, mostly due to injury, with Mason Tonks, Liam Welham, Makali Aizue and ex-Knight Jordan Howden crocked.

There were only two ex-Knights in the 17 in full-back Tom Carr and prop Russ Spiers. Of Donny’s others, Mark Castle and Matt Nicholson are in the treatment room, while Corey Hanson this week joined Hemel on loan. Joe “yellow card” Pickets-O’Donnell left for Australia in the winter.

Half-back Jordie Hedges was back after a four-game ban but was kept quiet.

York hardly got the start they needed, James Haynes dropping the albeit difficult kick-off in-goal, conceding a dropout. But the defence held out, Robinson holding Kesik up at the try-line, to set the tone.

Things quickly got feisty – Haynes being upturned and Tim Spiers scragged round the neck, both fouls leading to all-in bouts of push and shove.

But in the early hard hits that followed, Robinson departed in agony – a huge blow for the hosts.

They still took the lead, though, Tyson-Wilson knocking over a penalty, the fifth conceded by the Dons inside 14 minutes.

Tyson-Wilson’s left boot was instrumental in the opening try in the very next set.

Carr misjudged his steepling bomb, Jason Tali could only help the bad bounce goalwards and Ed Smith, charging up, got to the touchdown.

Doncaster were level on 22 minutes, though, on the back of two penalties, big Iafeta Paleaaesina crashing over, Carr converting.

After the sides traded more penalties, York passed up the chance of another two-pointer only to waste great field position with poor handling – not for the first or last time in the half.

A forced pass by Ed Smith to Haynes also went to ground in York’s own half, while Tyson-Wilson missed touch with a penalty.

Doncaster were wasteful too, though, not least when twice conceding penalties in possession.

But they didn’t pass up the chance of an easy two points when they got a free-kick 10 metres out, Carr putting them 8-6 up with the last action of the half.

That first half had not been great in quality – York’s completion rate being 68 per cent, with Donny’s at 72, while the referee’s whistle was prominent.

The hosts failed to complete early in the second half, too, albeit while coming inches away from scoring – the livewire Robson unable to ground the ball when spinning at the try-line.

But Donny got to tackle six a lot less in the second period and York, on their next set, took back the lead.

Ed Smith made it as he stepped Paleaaesina and, while he was held just short, he popped up a pass for Ellis to touch down.

Ellis had not hitherto had the best of games but he was in the right place at the right time, and his nous showed through thereafter.

York went close again after their best set of the match, a little chip from Jonny Presley just being covered by Donny winger Richie Barnett.

But they fluffed another two-point chance, Tyson-Wilson missing from 30 metres after yet another penalty.

Too many penalties the other way helped keep a labouring Doncaster in the game, but York’s defence was so much better than last Sunday, captain Ed Smith with two try-savers on the line and Tim Spiers prominent throughout in the engine room.

And on the back of that defence came the try of the match, set in motion by Robson and finished by Rawsthorne, that sealed the spoils.