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

York’s demotion to the sixth tier of the English game – where they will face Darlington, Spennymoor Town and Blyth Spartans next season – was confirmed when they could only draw 2-2 at home to Forest Green in their final game of the Conference season.

Danny Lowe’s late equaliser for Guiseley meant Mills’ team were left one point short of preserving their status in non-league football’s highest division.

Jon Parkin twice cancelled out Omar Bugiel efforts at Bootham Crescent, but York could not force a winner despite throwing goalkeeper Scott Loach up for two late set-pieces.

York officials will now have to decide whether to continue running a fully-professional organisation, and Mills said: “Nothing has been discussed but, on a personal note, I think it (turning semi-professional) 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 is keen to remain in charge of the Minstermen, with the former Gateshead boss having been appointed as Jackie McNamara’s successor in mid-October.

He said: “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 (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.”

While York’s league campaign is now at an end, they will have to regroup for the FA Trophy final, which will see them face Macclesfield Town at Wembley on Sunday, May 21.

Mills said: “It hurts and it will do for a while, but we have to face reality. We will be having a few days off, which we would have done whatever the outcome, then we’ve got to come back and try to win the FA Trophy final at Wembley because we’ve now got to be big and strong and stay proud of our football club.”

York: Loach, Parslow, Bencherif, Newton, Holmes, Heslop, Hall (Connolly 89), Muggleton, Oliver, Parkin, Morgan-Smith (Fenwick 89).