 His first match as Alfreton manager was a 2–1 home defeat to Vauxhall Motors on 13 August 2005, and having flirted with relegation the team finished the season in 17th place in the Conference North.Mills was registered as a player in 2005–06, and made 21 appearances after his debut came in a 2–1 home win over Redditch United on 10 September 2005.Mills made large-scale changes to the squad over the summer of 2006, although a few months into 2006–07 more budget cuts were made and this limited his ability to add to a squad lacking in depth.