Match report: York City Knights 42, Doncaster 10

What a difference 14 days can make at York City Knights. There won’t have been anyone among the 701-strong crowd at Huntington Stadium yesterday who could possibly explain how head coach Gary Thornton’s men could play so differently in two games against Doncaster.

Awful in the Northern Rail Cup in a sorry 24-12 defeat on May 19, the Knights looked transformed in the duo’s Kingstone Press Championship encounter – delivering an aggressive, thrilling, attacking display on the way to seven tries and a 42-10 success to prove that revenge really does taste sweet.

Thornton was right to praise the platform established by the forwards in this rematch – their industry battering and weakening Doncaster to the point where they were practically waving a white flag in surrender during a pulsating 20-minute period in the first half.

But it was individual pieces of brilliance from Simon Brown and Ben Johnston which lit up the field and sparked jubilation in the stands.

Brown, misfiring during York’s poor recent run and dropped for last week’s game at Featherstone, may well harbour hurt feelings from the snub but he responded in the perfect fashion.

His clever kicks and punts continually turned and asked difficult questions of the visitors – bounces of the ball leaving them bewildered – as the Grand Final winner with Sheffield last year controlled it on a piece of string.

And Johnston, attacked in some quarters for his perceived lack of size, produced some devastating finishing which all but had the victory sewn up by half-time.

His hat-trick, crowned by a spectacular opener which may yet turn out to be the try of the season, came in an electric 12-minute spell up to the half hour mark and galvanised the Knights after they had got off to the sloppiest of starts.

Penalised for a swinging arm in a tackle, the Knights defence then barely laid a hand on former player Lee Waterman as he had only to employ the pretence of a sidestep to score with less than two minutes on the clock.

Thornton admitted to fearing the worst and many supporters may have shared his concerns. His players, though, did not.

Brown’s bouncing bomb from the restart left Dennis Tuffour, another of the former Knights to now ply his trade at the Keepmoat, flapping and, while York were unable to capitalise on the mistake, they had laid down an important marker.

Doncaster couldn’t get out of their own half as Brown penned them in and Jack Briscoe and Tom Carr went close.

The latter was unlucky to have a score scratched out just after the quarter hour when a Brown kick bounced invitingly into his hands five metres out and he strolled in, only to be ruled offside by the touch judge.

York only had to wait another two minutes to get on the scoreboard, and it was a corker of a try to boot.

Johnston started and finished the move. Crashing onto a flat pass from Brown close to the right touchline with about 70 metres to travel, he fed Dean Hadley and then sprinted up in support to take an inside pass from Liam Kent and crown a wonderful passage of play.

More soon followed.

His second was all of his own making, Johnston whirling out of the challenges and showing strength and determination to touch down on 27 minutes before, with half an hour gone, producing an extravagant side-step to cross in the left corner after Jack Lee had opened up the Doncaster defence with a searing run right through the heart of their line.

The Knights weren’t finished with the first half either. The fourth try was made by two inspired kicks from Brown, the first a 40-20 which gave his side great field position and the second a little grubber which evaded all the flailing defenders and popped straight into the hands of a grateful Hadley to step through, score, and secure a 24-4 advantage at the break.

After all that, it was hardly a surprise to see a smarting Doncaster, sure to have been on the receiving end of some terse half-time words, reduce the deficit three minutes into the second half as, after York were penalised on their 20-metre line, Mike Emmett took a short ball from Paul Cooke and crashed over.

Tom Carr, who had been exquisite with the boot in conversions, tried to steady any nerves the home side may have had by opting to go for goal when referee Jamie Leahy penalised the increasingly frustrated visitors as the second period wore on.

He missed the first but bagged the second on the hour mark and, seemingly satisfied that would achieve victory, the Knights opened up once again.

Lee went straight over from a play the ball on 66 minutes before, four minutes later, Carr capped a flowing move to the left, with Brown and Johnston again involved, by throwing an outrageous dummy on his way to the line.

He nailed the most difficult of conversions as well, tight to the touchline and his sixth of the afternoon, but was unable to put a final flourish on the scoresheet as George Elliott, who had been industrious all afternoon, got the try his performance deserved when crossing after Lee, Jonny Presley and Kent had first put in the hard yards.

The standard has been set. Now the Knights must ensure they meet that again against Keighley in six days time.

Match facts

Knights: Carr 8, Elliott 8, Latus 8, Briscoe 8, Flockhart 8, Brown 9, Johnston 9, Freer 8, Lee 8, Aldous 8, Kent 8, Hadley 8, Scott 8.

Subs (all used): Presley 8, Brining 8, Sullivan 8, Stenchion 8.

Tries: Johnston 18, 27, 30; Hadley 34; Lee 66; Carr 70; Elliott 80.

Conversions: Carr, 18, 27, 30, 34, 66, 70.

Penalties: Carr 60.

Doncaster: Waterman, Sanderson, Cowling, Kay, Tuffour, Cooke, Fawcett, Castle, Kesik, Waller, Kelly, Spurr, Emmett.

Subs (all used): Powley, Scott, Carbutt, Leaf.

Tries: Waterman 4; Emmett 44.

Conversions: Sanderson 44.

Penalties: none.

Man of the match: Simon Brown – Bouncing back to form in excellent fashion, he was the architect of the Knights’ inventive attacking play.

Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury) – good all round performance.

Penalties: 4-5.

Weather: Sunny, warm, with a slight breeze.

Half-time: 24-4.

Attendance: 701.

Moment of the match: Brown’s little grubber kick for Hadley’s try not only bewildered the Doncaster defence, its brilliance left supporters open mouthed as well.

Gamebreaker: Not just because it was York’s first try, but the break started and finished by Johnston gave the Knights the confidence to go on and dominate.

Match rating: After five defeats in a row, this performance was a fine fillip for the Knights and a relief to their supporters.