York City 2 Forest Green Rovers 2: Devastated Mills eyes Wembley glory after relegation from National League
They failed to win their final match of the season at Bootham Crescent ahead of their FA Trophy final against Macclesfield Town and Guiseley stayed up at their expense.
Jon Parkin scored his 14th and 15th goals of the campaign for York, equalising a brace of first-half goals from German striker Omar Bugiel, but their Yorkshire neighbours hit a late equaliser to beat the drop by a point.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdFollowing the game, an angry group of around 50 York fans gathered outside after the final whistle chanting "Jason McGill get out of our club" in protest at the club chairman.
The Forest Green players were also held back in the club's family/media room to avoid any trouble and had to leave by a different exit.
York chief Gary Mills, who only took charge in October and whose efforts since the turn of the year would have seen the Minstermen finish in mid-table, emerged to say: "I am absolutely devastated for this group of players.
"But I now want to win at Wembley, be proud to lead them out and then see the club bounce back.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"It's early days but you can't hide behind what has happened to us."
Social media reaction: Delight for Guisley, despair for relegated York
Minstermen chief Gary Mills initially went 3-4-3 for the final throw of the dice while Forest Green, already in the play-offs, rested 25-goal top scorer Christian Doidge.
There was a pre-match minute's applause for sports journalist and former Wimbledon tennis umpire Malcolm Huntington, who died this week aged 82 after having spent 45 years covering the fortunes of York City.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdParkin soon tested Sam Russell with a volley from the edge of the area and two throw-ins within a minute from Sam Muggleton crashed against the bar.
But the visitors went ahead in the sixth minute when left-back Dan Wishart drove down the left channel and squared for Omar Bugiel to curl home from just inside the area.
Vadaine Oliver should have equalised sliding on to a low cross-shot from Parkin but he could only hold his head in agony after diverting the ball over the bar.
After that York were made to look distinctly second best as Forest Green knocked the ball around with a calm authority.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt needed a spark and captain Simon Heslop provided it in the 33rd minute, winning the ball in midfield and threading it through for Parkin to slot past the advancing Russell.
York, however, switched off and virtually from the kick-off Bugiel was allowed to run unchallenged through the middle and knock the ball past Scott Loach to make it 2-1.
Oliver charged down a clearance but the ball bounced wide and Bugiel fluffed his hat-trick chance before the break with a weak shot.
It was almost 2-2 straight after the break when Parkin inadvertently deflected Asa Hall's shot but Russell twisted to make a great save.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe reprieve was short-lived as Muggleton hurled in a throw and Amari Morgan-Smith connected with a shot at the far post which Parkin deflected home in the 48th minute.
It was close to being 3-2 to York when a goalbound downward header from Hall was cleared off the line by the boot of Russell.
Green made a double substitution on the hour mark in a bid to stem the York tide.
Heslop won the ball on the edge of the area but fired over before news filtered through with six minutes of normal time remaining that the team immediately above York, Guiseley had equalised in stoppage time against Solihull Moors and were staying up at the Minstermen's expense.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWith Guiseley having drawn, York made an 89th-minute double substitution with Aidan Connolly and Scott Fenwick coming on for Morgan-Smith and Hall.
Oliver forced a corner going into four minutes of stoppage time and Loach ventured forward. He was up again for a long throw from which Newton fired wide and York's hope had gone.