ROTHERHAM UNITED 0
BARNSLEY 0

THE Reds preparations for the new season moved up a pace but Simon Davey's side just could not find a way through Rotherham United in the first half as a sun-drenched Don Valley Stadium.

In the strange setting of the Millers' new home, the Reds were straight on the attack and tested Steven Cann within seconds when Rob Kozluk brought a smart low save from the Millers keeper with a low curler from 20 yards out.

Jon Macken almost added to his impressive tally of pre-season goals on four minutes as he pounced onto Graham Coughlan's cataclysmic backpass but the ball bounced through to Cann before the Reds frontman could get a shot away.

Macken was again in the thick of the action two minutes later as his smart turn was halted by Ian Sharps 30 yards from goal. Brian Howard looked to hit the top corner with his free kick but Cann was quickly over to make another decent stop.

Rotherham went close to an opener seconds later when Mark Hudson pounced on a slip by Dennis Souza to drive the ball goalward but his effort cannoned off Darren Moore and bounced just wide.

Pablo Mills then almost unlocked the Reds defence with a chipped pass on ten minutes that Reuben Reid did well to get his head onto only to be ruled offside.

The first real sight of goal came on 13 minutes when Macken did fantastically well to barge an opening past Sharps and threaded an inch perfect pass through the Millers defence to send Kayode Odejayi clear. The big striker only had Cann to beat but was denied by the Rotherham keeper's fine stop.

At the other end Peter Holmes managed to get the wrong side of Stephen Foster on 16 minutes and looked certain to get a shot away only for Jamal Campbell-Ryce to battle back for an important interception.

Foster went an inch away from netting the opener on 19 minutes when he rose unmarked at the back post to meet Jacob Butterfield's deep corner and Cann had to dive full length to claw his header around the post.

Odejayi should have done better on 25 minutes when he rose to meet Campbell-Ryce's cross but could only glance the ball wide of the target. Foster then lashed one high over seconds later from distance as the Reds looked to make their early dominance count. Good play by Odejayi created half a chance on the edge of the area for Mounir El Haimour on the half hour but the Frenchman was forced to take his shot early and hammered the ball high over the bar.

Reid then almost created a chance out of nothing for himself as he ran at the Barnsley defence but he was eventually crowded out by Campbell-Ryce and Foster inside the area. Luke Steele was forced into his first real save on 36 minutes and the keeper did well to stop Hudson's long range effort.

Macken was an inch away from a goal in stoppage time when he took on Butterfield's pass and smacked a first-time volley across the face of goal.

ROTHERHAM UNITED: Cann, Lynch, Sharps, Coughlan, Green, Mills, Harrison, Hudson, Holmes, Taylor, Reid.
Subs: TBA.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Foster, Souza, Moore, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Howard, Butterfield, El Haimour, Macken, Odejayi.
Subs: Letheren, Van Homoet, Johnson, Heslop, Atkinson, Adam, Hunt.