YORK City boss Gary Mills has confessed that National League survival is the only target this season after the club dropped into the relegation zone.

A 2-0 home defeat against Dagenham means the Minstermen lie fourth-bottom following first-half goals from Oliver Hawkins and Luke Guttridge.

The hosts also had Adriano Moke sent off on 81 minutes for violent conduct and he now faces a three-match ban.

Summing up his hopes for the remainder of the campaign six win-less games after succeeding Jackie McNamara, Mills said: “We’ve got to get over the 50-point mark.

“That’s where we are at and I won’t be getting carried away with anything else. I knew when I came in, with the players that were here, that this was a big challenge and I think getting the points to stay in this division this season will be a massive achievement because there’s no doubt, in my mind, that the players were not good enough to go forward with and that’s why I’ve made changes and want to make more.”

Mills argued, though, that his team were the better side in defeat against Dagenham, only to be beaten because the visitors boasted the best player on the pitch in Hawkins who, after opening the scoring, teed up Guttridge for the second goal on the stroke of half-time.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more from the players in terms of performance,” Mills explained. “Scotty (Flinders) made a save late in the second half but, other than picking the ball out of the net twice, he didn’t have to deal with another shot.

“I thought we passed the ball well and created numerous chances but, if you don’t put them away, you don’t win games. We had the better opportunities, but one player can make a difference in football and I think that’s why they won the game.

“We lost Simon Lappin through suspension because of an unbelievable rule, whilst Oliver Hawkins got sent off on Tuesday but the ban was rescinded and he plays, but that’s the way it is. We know points are more important than performances and I know people will be saying they’d rather play poorly and get the points and that’s true.

“But the players have got to take heart from how we played against a team in the top five and one of the favourites for promotion. You have to stay strong through defeat and, hopefully, we can stick away the chances we are creating and start winning games.”

Former Leeds reserve Robbie McDaid had a succession of opportunities to mark his home debut with a goal, but Mills is backing the 20-year-old Irishman to prove his marksmanship in future fixtures, adding: “Robbie had three or four chances which you would hope to get as a striker, so he’ll be disappointed with that because he’s as honest as the day is long and, in another game, he would have stuck two or three away. It was just one of those days.”

City will now be without Moke for Tuesday night’s home match against Lincoln after he retaliated to a foul by Scott Heard and was dismissed for confronting Jordan Maguire-Drew, amid rumours that he also inadvertently caught referee Martin Coy with his arm.

On the incident, Mills declared: “I didn’t have a clear view of it but, if what I have heard is correct, he will be punished for that because we will be missing him for three games.

“Simon Lappin would have played anyway against Lincoln but, with Moke being out now, he’ll come straight in for him.”

The City chief, meanwhile, welcomed Aidan Connolly’s return against Dagenham following an eight-game absence due to hamstring trouble. “I thought Aidan was excellent considering how long he’s been out,” Mills reasoned.

Injury-plagued right-back Lanre Oyebanjo is no closer to a comeback, though, with Mills revealing: “Lanre keeps having setbacks, so still looks a bit of a way off.”

Ahead of a third successive fixture against promotion contenders with Lincoln visiting Bootham Crescent, Mills is also challenging his team to prove again they can live with the division’s leading lights.

“We’ve got another tough game against a team who are flying but I want to get to a situation where, whether we’re playing Dagenham, Lincoln or Forest Green, we are capable of winning,” Mills insisted. “When I came in, what I saw against Curzon Ashton was worrying and what I saw when we drew against Chester also worried me.

“This run of games was always going to be tough, but I think there’s been a vast improvement. We put in a good performance to get a point in at Easteligh and, if we’d had Oliver Hawkins in our team, I think we would have beaten Dagenham.”