YORK City boss Gary Mills has argued that Saturday’s abandoned Blue Square Premier clash at Luton Town should have never gone ahead.

Considering the advance weather warnings, Mills believes an early decision might have been made to prevent the team and their supporters from making a wasted 350-mile round trip.

The Minstermen also incurred costs from staying overnight in Bedfordshire, only for Hendley to call the game off in the 56th minute after persistent snow showers became heavier in the second half.

He had earlier deemed the pitch playable following a 10am pitch inspection.

City manager Mills said: “The game should not have been started. Everybody knew what the forecast was and how far our fans had to travel. We went down on Friday and our supporters will have set off at 7.30am in the morning. It’s not just about getting people into matches though, it’s about making sure people get back home safely.

“You have to be sensible. We all knew the snow was going to come down and it’s disappointing to go all the way to Luton and not be able to complete a game of football.”

Despite his frustration, Mills did agree, however, with referee Andy Hendley’s decision to abandon the match.

“It had to be ended because it was becoming a farce,” he said. “It might have been all right if the game had kicked off at 11am but you have to be sensible and things were getting worse.

“The pitch was okay and both teams did try to play on it but, if it had got to 20 minutes to go, we would not have been able to see the lines. Even before Andy Drury hit the bar with a free-kick for them, (Luton manager) Richard Money turned to me and said he did not want the game to carry on regardless of whether he scored or not.”

But Mills added that he was disappointed when the snow made the match unplayable, believing his side had been on top.

“We started very well and brightly and I thought we had the better of the match and were edging it,” he said. “The lads did really well even though the pitch did not help when we got in and around the box.

“There was not an abundance of chances and, while they hit the bar, we had more possession and were more dangerous in the first half. We kept our shape, looked solid and kept another clean sheet for 55 minutes.

“I did not want the snow to come down because I thought we were doing well as I sensed we would during training last week.”

Mills’ main concern now is that the cold snap does not claim further fixtures over Christmas with four league matches in nine days due to kick off on Sunday against Gateshead at Bootham Crescent.

The City boss said: “Hopefully, we will get some better weather over Christmas and get the games played because, if they are postponed, that will create a lot of problems.”

Mills handed Chris Carruthers only his second start since suffering a knee injury in August at Kenilworth Road, playing the former England youth international at left-back and pushing James Meredith forward into a three-pronged strikeforce.

About that decision, Mills said: “Chris is a player I like and I like the balance of having two left-footed players down that side of the pitch. He’s been working hard in training and James Meredith can play anywhere down that left-hand side.

“He’s quick and has got good feet even if it was a bit of a change to play him further up front. They’ve done well together in the past and you also have that option of playing either one in front of the other.”

Midfielder Neil Barrett was also given his first start during Mills’ 12-game reign and both players staked their claim for regular places according to the City boss, who added: “We made two or three changes and there were people out there who showed they want to keep their shirts. Both Neil Barrett and Chris Carruthers are good professionals who want to play every week.”