YORK City boss Gary Mills is hoping relegation to National League North will not spell a switch to part-time football at Bootham Crescent.

The drop down to the English game’s regionalised sixth tier was confirmed following a 2-2 home draw with Forest Green, as a stoppage-time equaliser from Guiseley’s Danny Lowe ensured the West Yorkshire outfit stayed up at the Minstermen’s expense.

Lowe’s goal saw Guiseley secure a 1-1 home draw against Solihull, leaving Mills’ team one point short of preserving their status in non-League football’s highest echelon.

At Bootham Crescent, Jon Parkin twice cancelled out Omar Bugiel efforts for the visitors but City could not force a winner despite throwing goalkeeper Scott Loach up for two late set-pieces and, on the prospect of semi-professional football in York, Mills revealed: “Nothing has been discussed but, on a personal note, I think it would be another step backwards for this football club.

“I think you have to stay strong and say this is who we are and come back at it. The only way to do that, in my opinion, is to keep doing things the right way, but I’m not the man who makes these decisions.

“If the club decides they don’t want to be full-time, then that’s totally out of my hands and I’m sure, when the time is right, the right people will deal with that.”

Mills went on to stress that he wants to stay as manager in charge of a team that is capable of bouncing back at the first attempt, adding: “There’s a lot of talking to be done and decisions to be made.

“There will also be a lot of people angry and I don’t think things should be decided in the heat of the emotion. But the chairman (Jason McGill) and chief executive (Jackie McNamara) will do something when the time is right.

“What happens between now and then and afterwards is out of my hands, but we’re going into a very, very tough league, where you need good players and the right types, as you do to compete in this one.

“It is hard to put into words how difficult it will be in that league. People can’t just think it’s easy to get out of it without having the right players and I want to be here next season to help us get back into this league as quickly as possible.

“I also want the majority of the players that have been with me since January to be here as well, because you need players to be able to do it. You can’t be bringing inferior ones in.”