Rotherham United continued their preparations ahead of the 2022/23 Sky Bet Championship campaign after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with South Yorkshire neighbours Doncaster Rovers at a sun soaked Eco-Power Stadium.
Rovers drew first blood when George Miller finished emphatically inside the box but were not ahead for long when Hakeem Odoffin headed home Dan Barlaser’s corner just five minutes later.
Miller was on the scoresheet again in the second half with another well-taken goal but Rotherham secured a draw after a well-worked move, which saw Kioso’s low cross tucked home by Georgie Kelly.
The first opportunity of the game fell the home side’s way, when a foul on the edge of the box from Wood presented Rovers with a free kick, which was flashed wide of the goal by Molyneux.
The home side were ahead on 11 minutes, when Adam Clayton played a precise through ball into the path of Miller, who took a touch before finishing empathically past Vickers from inside the box.
Rotherham responded well to going behind, forcing a succession of corners before finding their equaliser from Barlaser’s set-piece on 16 minutes. The midfielder’s pinpoint delivery was met with a powerful header from Odoffin inside the area to equalise.
Rovers looked to respond through another free kick situation when Trialist B and Molyneux worked a routine straight off the training ground, seeing the latter lay the ball off for Clayton to fire a powerful effort at goal, which deflected wide via a deflection off a home shirt.
The Millers were the next to try their luck at goal, as Barlaser and Wiles exchanged passes on the edge of the box, creating room for the latter to strike towards goal, seeing his effort well blocked by Biggins.
Rovers should have been ahead just before the break and would have been had it not been for a stunner save from Vickers, who somehow got down at full-stretch to tip Trialist B’s powerful close-range effort onto the post.
The last act of the half fell to Harding. Ogbene the architect with a typical lung-busting run through the middle before teeing up the defender up to strike, into the gloves of Mitchell.
HALF TIME | Doncaster 1 v 1 Rotherham
The home side were presented with a good chance to regain the lead when Miller found himself with time a space to shoot, but he was denied an effort at goal by a timely recovering challenge from Kioso.
Rovers regained the lead on the hour mark when Rowe found Miller inside the box, who executed another impressive finish on the outside right of his boot.
On 66 minutes Kioso and Wiles exchanged passes before the latter directed the ball towards Lindsay to strike from the edge of the box, but Mitchell was equal to it.
Rotherham levelled the scores 13 minutes before the end through a well-worked team goal. Lindsay found Kioso with an accurate through ball and the left-wing-back delivered low for Kelly to tuck the ball under the legs of Mitchell from close-range.
Paul Warne’s side had a great opportunity to take the lead just three minutes later, when the lively Lindsay fed Washington, who cut the ball back for the Scot, who couldn’t apply the finishing touch from close-range.
FULL TIME | Doncaster 2 v 2 Rotherham
Rotherham | Vickers; Humphreys, Wood (C), Odoffin (Washington 63’); Harding, Wiles, Rathbone (Lindsay 63’), Barlaser, Kioso; Kelly, Ogbene.
UNUSED | Johansson, Hull, Warne, Durose, Douglas, Holvey, Champion.