 Mills was named the Conference Premier Manager of the Month for October 2013 after Gateshead won all five matches that month, conceding only one goal.Gateshead's form continued to improve and by mid January 2014 they had moved into a play-off place; Mills commented in February that "When I came in, I wanted everyone here to believe that we could win promotion – I think they're starting to now".Gateshead qualified for the Conference Premier play-offs for the first time in their history after finishing third in the table in 2013–14, which represented the club's highest league placing since being voted out of the Football League in 1960.