Doncaster 40 York City Knights 24: Doncaster finally end 25-match losing run

DONCASTER ended their winless run spanning 25 matches in style by beating Championship One leaders York City Knights 40-24.

They scored eight tries and the scoreline would have been even greater had Simon Brown added more than his three conversions, plus late penalty.

While the day could not have gone much better for the Dons, it could not have gone much worse for the Knights on the day head coach James Ratcliffe returned from his two-month ban.

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They lost star man Chris Thorman to a suspected torn quad muscle and Jordan Ross to concussion. Worse followed in the second half as Brett Waller was stretchered off with a suspeced broken ankle.

Captain Richard Blakeway also needed stitches in a head cut, Joe McLocklan suffered a dead leg, and centre Steve Lewis suffered rib cartilage damage.

Thorman had set up an opening try for McLocklan but hobbled off in between two tries by Doncaster's Tommy Griffiths and Danny Allan.

Lee Waterman and Dan Wilson (2) responded for York to lead 18-14, Ben Collins scoring for the hosts.

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Tries by Gary King and Shaun Leaf overturned the lead within six minutes of the restart, and they were added to by further touchdowns from Jack Ely, Kyle Kesik and Allan, with his second.

Danny Ratcliffe got a stoppage-time consolation after a break by Waterman, who ended with two conversions, before McLocklan was sin-binned late on.

Doncaster: Griffiths, Collins, Leaf, Gomersall, King, Allan, S Brown, Ellery, Kesik, Bovill, Steen, Lawton, L Brown. Substitutes: Shaw, Stanley, P Brown, Ely.

York: Ratcliffe, Reittie, Lewis, Waterman, Wilson, Thorman, Bromilow, Applegarth, Stamp, Freer, Ross, Blakeway, McLocklan. Substitutes: Davies, Waller, Clough, Fallon.

Referee: Gary Dolan (RFL).