Premier ambitions on hold for Davey and Knights

Had they won this match, which they were on the verge of doing until Mike Howard’s 78th-minute try and Myles Dorrian’s nerve-jangling conversion, they would have been in a strong position to move ahead of the team that finished second in the league and into a position to qualify for the play-off semi-finals.

That would be achievement in itself, but given they do not meet the Rugby Football Union’s criteria to play in the Premiership, winning promotion this year would prove beyond them.

As it would be for four of the other teams in the top eight, Bedford included.

Worcester, Bristol and Nottingham tick the RFU boxes, and the latter only because they play their games at Notts County’s Meadow Lane.

Worcester should win promotion at a canter, sparing the governing body any headaches.

Like their rival teams, which include Rotherham, Doncaster have forwarded a letter offering suggestions to where they might play next year should the nearly impossible be achieved.

But, by their own admission, a club that moved out of professional ranks last summer back into part-time rugby, is not ready.

Castle Park is a smart little arena, but only 901 people saw one of their biggest games of the season. Perhaps the paying public have cottoned on to a play-off system that is flawed.

For Brett Davey, the current assistant to Lynn Howells who will step into the breach vacated by his Welsh compatriot in the summer, it has rendered the play-offs a competition without any real target.

“I think we can go up if we win it. I don’t know the ins and outs,” he said, epitomising the confusion.

“I know the club have made contact with other grounds.

“But we know where we are, we’re probably not ready quite yet to get promoted but we are still on a big learning curve and that’s really important.

“We want to increase our local identity which is going to be really key for the next two or three years.”

Davey is is also in charge of player recruitment as Howells’s four years at the club draws to a close.

A move back into full-time looks beyond them with the announcement this week that Steve Lloyd – one of the club’s major benefactors – is to step down as chairman.

He will maintain the same level of financial commitment next season at Castle Park, but recruitment is another facet of the job to learn for the previously untested Davey.

“It’s hectic at the moment, the phone doesn’t stop and we’re hoping to make some announcements this week about signings,” said Davey, who is expected to reveal the arrival of two recruits from Rotherham plus the re-signing of forwards Matt Challinor and Stuart Corsar.

“We’d like to keep the majority of our players here, they know the situation, and, hopefully, they want to stay.

“Obviously, you’re governed by your budget, but we want to try and keep as many as we can and try and build on some continuity.

“We’ll try to bring some players in on top of that but we’ll know more when the players start to give us some answers.”

If their performance against Bedford was anything to go by, Doncaster’s players are still playing for a semi-final berth.

Ahead 6-3 shortly after a cagey first half, they fell behind to the first of Howard’s tries, when the burrowing lock barelled over.

Dorrian converted but the Knights were straight up the other end and, from a rolling maul, Steve Boden was driven over.

Then a wonderful move, kept alive by Matt Williams and involving a slick interchange between Dougie Flockhart and James Craig created space for Stevie McColl to race in.

Tristan Roberts, though, crucially missed the conversions to both tries, and with a glimmer of hope, Howard again found his way over, this time too easily, and Dorrian stole the win with the conversion.

“It probably sums up our season,” conceded Davey.

“We dictated the second half but a couple of mental errors here and there went against us.

“Tristan missing those kicks is just one of those things. What was more frustrating was that we had a chance at the end to retake the lead and made the wrong decision. We’ve just got to be smarter, that’s the harsh reality of play-off rugby.”

Doncaster Knights: McColl, Flockhart, Goss, Wright, Williams, Roberts, Jones; Frazier, Boden, Thiede (Quigley 56), Challinor, Kenworthy (James 51), Makaafi (Farivarz 68), Cochrane, Jackson. Unused replacements: Doughty, Parsons, Hampson, Briers.

Bedford Blues: Thrower, Schmidt, Bedford (Sharp 72), Vass, Taylor, Dorrian, Chudley (Walshe 80); Walsh (Boot 72), Richmond, Seal (Boulton 50), Howard, Tupai, Rae, Lewitt, Goodman (Gillanders 69). Unused replacements: Tomes, Bassett.

Referee: D Gamage (RFU).