YORK City boss Gary Mills appealed for everybody to carry on believing after a 1-1 draw against Woking plunged the club back into the relegation zone with one game to play.

Jon Parkin’s 75th-minute equaliser earned a point in Surrey after Gozie Ugwu’s second-half penalty, but Torquay’s 2-1 win at play-off chasers Dover meant Mills’ team dropped a place to fourth-bottom.

The Minstermen now lie a point behind the Gulls and Guiseley, three adrift of Woking and Chester and one ahead of third-bottom Braintree ahead of their final-day home clash next weekend against Forest Green, who are now guaranteed to meet Dagenham & Redbridge in the play-offs.

Dagenham will play host to Woking in their final fixture of the regular campaign, while Guiseley host Solihull who secured their National League status with a 2-0 home triumph over Eastleigh.

Already-relegated North Ferriby, meanwhile, will travel to Torquay, Braintree visit an Aldershot team who will still need three points to secure a play-off place should Dover beat Macclesfield on Tuesday night.

Chester, who can only be caught by the Minstermen courtesy of a ten-goal swing, entertain Boreham Wood.

Despite the disappointment of falling back into the bottom four, Mills stressed the importance of securing maximum points against Mark Cooper’s men to ensure they are in a position to capitalise on any slip-ups from their rivals.

He also absolved the current squad of players from the blame for the perilous position the club now finds itself in, declaring: “This group of players have been unbelievable since January 1 and I couldn’t have asked anything more from them.

“They have given absolutely everything and I don’t have to tell people what a mess we were in. It was an absolutely diabolical mess.

“When we got out of the bottom four, expectations then rose, but it’s more about what we’ve been doing since the start of the season and that’s why we’re in the situation we are in. But we have a strong group now who will fight to the very end and we’ve got to hope that’s enough because I thought they were immense at Woking.

“To fight back and equalise after going a goal down showed what they are about again. We then had other chances and it just didn’t go for us, but we’ve got to stick together as a football club and stay positive because, if you still believe, it can happen.

“This is my football club and I love it. We’ve lost our two last home games, but I’d rather be playing at Bootham Crescent next weekend, because I know our fantastic supporters will turn out, as they always do.”

Mills went on to reason that Parkin’s 17th goal of the season could make a big difference in the final shake-up.

It meant that Woking can still be overhauled and that even a point might keep the Minstermen up if Guiseley lose to Solihull and Braintree fail to win at Aldershot.

Running his eye over the different permutations, the City chief added: “There were two or three weird results again over the weekend and that seems to have happened all season.

“Torquay have won their last two games and it’s never easy to go to Dover and win, so fair play to them. They’ve had two great results to get themselves out of the bottom four.

“We’re looking at all scenarios now, but we know we’ve got to win and, then, the point and Jon’s goal could be massive for us because, if Woking lose at Dagenham, we’ll go above them.”