YORK City boss Gary Mills has told supporters they might be surprised by the identity of players who are willing to stick by the club in National League North.

The Minstermen chief is ready to begin negotiations with the majority of the squad he has relied upon since the turn of the calendar year, with that group of players displaying top-ten form during that period, despite ultimately failing to avoid relegation due to a stoppage-time goal at Guiseley on the campaign’s final day.

Among the players now out of contract at Bootham Crescent, who featured under Mills in 2017, are Scott Fenwick, Danny Holmes, Simon Lappin, Adriano Moke, Sam Muggleton, Lanre Oyebanjo, Jon Parkin and Alex Whittle.

Loan signing Hamza Bencherif, meanwhile, has expressed a desire to leave National League Wrexham and fellow temporary recruits Asa Hall, Dan Parslow and Amari Morgan-Smith (all Cheltenham) and Scott Loach (Notts County) will soon be holding discussions about the future with their parent clubs.

Having agreeing new terms to stay on as manager, Mills is hopeful now that many of his players will follow suit.

“I’ve had players saying they want to play for me next season and they have expressed a desire to stay at the club,” he revealed. “They are perhaps players that people are saying won’t be here now we’re in National League North, because they could be playing one or, maybe, two divisions higher.

“But they want to stay and put things right for the football club. That tells you a lot about them, but I know what they’re like, having worked with them for a few months.

“We showed top-ten form in the division above from January onwards, so I want to carry on that momentum and win games by keeping the majority of that squad and we’ll have to see whether we’re able to do that. The most important thing is that we do the best we can, within the budget we have been given, to put together the strongest possible team.

“We have to prepare for life in the National League North by recruiting the right players – that’s absolutely vital and they must be here for the right reasons. It will be a small squad – there’s no two ways about that – but I like it that way.

“We will have a lot of players going to Wembley (for the FA Trophy final against Macclesfield a week on Sunday) who want to know where their futures lie next season and it’s important myself and Cask (assistant-manager Darren Caskey) identify the players we want to be with us as well. Nobody can argue that this group of players deserve to play at Wembley and some have never played there.

“But I’m hoping that game can prove the start of a new season, rather than the end of the last one, before we all move on together.”

Mills will work on a lower salary next term following the club’s drop into sixth-tier, regionalised football, with the terms of his new contract having become acceptable to all parties after consultation with the League Managers’ Association (LMA).

On that decision, Mills added: “Nobody wants a pay cut but, if I hadn’t taken it, then staying here wouldn’t have happened. It’s the same for Darren and it shows how much we want to be at the club.

“Getting relegated is hard and emotional but, whatever happened, I always wanted to remain as manager. There was a clause that stated my contract could be terminated in the case of relegation, which I agreed to when I took the job on, so that was there if the club wanted to use it.

“Things also then had to be right for the club and for myself and it’s always difficult to consider these things straight after a game, but we all have to remain positive and professional through this difficult time and be proud of our club again, starting at Wembley.”