THE woodwork came to York City Knights’ rescue at the death as they escaped with a point from their crucial Super 8s clash with Doncaster – enough to seal a play-off place.

Having equalised with a drop goal with 90 seconds to go, Connor Robinson then conceded a penalty 35 metres out when passing the ball from the ground after the tackle was complete.

Dons half-back Jack Miller struck it well but it veered left and, as the hooter sounded, the ball rebounded out off the post.

It was the same post he had hit earlier in the half when missing a vital conversion, having seen another in the first half go in off an upright at the other end.

The 21-21 final scoreline after yet another entertaining encounter at Bootham Crescent - allied to results elsewhere - banked York a top-five spot in League One with two games to go.

It is an achievement not to be sniffed at, especially given the crisis at the club before the December takeover.

Boss James Ford as expected brought back three of his big guns – hooker Andy Ellis, loose-forward Tim Spears and Liam Harris - after they sat out the defeat at Barrow.

Prop Chris Siddons was also recalled to the 17, with Ben Dent, Ryan Mallinder, Adam Swift and the crocked Ross Osborne left out.

They lost prop Adam Robinson to injury soon after he came on in the first half while Jordan Cox played through illness – making the pack effort better than it appeared. Centre Brad Hey also played through injury.

Harris' deployment at full-back meant assistant-coach Jonny Presley continued in the halves alongside Robinson.

The pair didn’t really click – the latter having a particularly hit-and-mainly-miss day, aside his all-important drop goal – and it was left to Harris to unlock the door, the dual-reg ace bagging a solo brace, too, in a man-of-the-match performance.

Doncaster, on paper as well as on the pitch, were a fair match and their pack in particular got their noses through tackles to garner quicker play-the-balls early on.

Neither side finished sets well, though, until the Dons forced a dropout.

The Knights wasted their first chance – the pass from an attacking scrum was poor and Hey spilled it above his head.

However, they forced errors when the visitors tried to open out, and, when prop Russ Spiers – back at his old club – attempted an offload in centre-field, Jake Butler-Fleming picked it off and had a free run to the sticks for an 18th-minute lead. Robinson goaled.

Doncaster quickly equalised after a good break in the middle. Nev Morrison got back with a great tackle to deny Kieran Cross inches short but the defence was stretched and Cross’ half-back partner, Jack Miller, kicked to the corner where Barnett caught and touched down.

Miller’s conversion went in off an upright.

The Knights were soon back in front thanks to a moment of magic from Harris.

Catching a kick 15 metres from his own line, he arced round to the left and, using winger Dee Foggin-Johnston as a foil, broke through and simply outpaced the cover to the other end for a wonderful individual try.

Again the Dons responded, this time after a fortunate penalty for lying on, Muranka with a good finish by the right flag.

Then another piece of luck - Miller’s field kick coming off Joe Batchelor’s hand before bouncing out inside the red zone - provided the platform for a Miller drop goal that eked them 11-10 ahead at half-time.

York nearly retook the lead at the start of the second period, the Dons just knocking Presley’s chip dead before Batchelor could touch down.

They also passed up the chance for a two-pointer by running a penalty for a late hit on Presley.

The veteran schemer put Dixon into a half-gap but the prop bounced the ball down when reaching for the try-line.

Those near-misses could have proved costly.

Great defence denied Doncaster after they had benefited from another lucky penalty – prop Mark Castle held up and fumbling the ball when he seemed sure to crash over.

However, the Dons did stretch their lead on 54 minutes, full-back Hakim Miloudi, the French World Cup hopeful, finishing smartly after Chris Siddons was caught napping at the previous tackle, a gap thus opening up.

This time Miller’s conversion came out of the woodwork, leaving the Knights needing a converted try to turn things round.

They soon got the try – thanks to some brilliance by Butler-Fleming under a Robinson kick.

The Aussie centre leapt highest, juggled the ball, caught it on the stretch and offloaded for Nev Morrison, who used brute force to find a route to the whitewash.

But the conversion from wide out was missed.

And, after another attacking set came to nothing, the Dons immediately went two scores ahead at 21-14 – former Super League prop Iafeta Paleaaesina with the offload that led to a crisp handling move and Miloudi’s second try, Miller goaling.

That was soon cut to one again thanks to more Harris brilliance.

He seemed to have been put down a blocked alleyway but cut back inside and scythed through, Robinson goaling.

Some harem scarem rugby then brought a chance – an attacking scrum - with six and a half minutes left.

But Robinson spilled the ball not for the first time.

He made amends, though, with that late drop goal after the Knights had smartly forged the opportunity.

And he – and the Knights – got away with his late transgression, that left-hand post proving their saviour.