ROTHERHAM UNITED 1 (Rhodes 84)
BARNSLEY 0

BARNSLEY were better but struggled to find a breakthrough and were hit by a late, late suckerpunch as the Simon Davey's side stepped up their pre-season preparations at the 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.

Odejayi tore into the Rotherham defence on 50 minutes as he raced onto Souza's great through ball and bundled his way past two challenges on his way to goal but ran out of pitch and had to settle for a well-won corner.

El Haimour then took on the Millers backline singlehandedly two minutes later as he broke 70 yards and outpaced three defenders before knocking his cross into the danger area but Butterfield and Macken were crowded out. From Howard's resulting corner Rob Kozluk smashed one high over the bar at the back post.

Campbell-Ryce, who was being booed every time he went near the ball, was given a real welcome back to Rotherham on 63 minutes when he was hacked down by Holmes. Rotherham finally got a shot in on goal in the second half two minutes later when Ryan Taylor lashed one in from distance that Steele did well to hold.

Macken was again close to a goal on 65 minutes when he met Howard's free kick but his header bounced through to Cann. It was Macken's last action of the game as he was replaced by exciting youngster Jamil Adam three minutes later.

Campbell-Ryce got his own back on Holmes on 72 minutes with a crunching lunge on half way that would have earned the winger a booking in a competitive game.

Martin Devaney had an instant impact on the game when he beat his man and whipped in a dangerous cross from the right on 81 minutes that Sharps somehow managed to slice over his own bar.

Barnsley were behind on 84 minutes when Souza was done all ends up by Reid down the right flank. The Millers striker turned the Brazilian way too easily and fired the ball across goal to give substitute Alex Rhodes a tap in from six yards.

The Reds were almost level within 60 seconds as Adam managed to get in behind the Rotherham defence but the ball just beat him and Cann was able to race out and punch clear.

Souza had a great chance to make amends for his error on 86 minutes when he pounced onto a loose ball in the Millers area but lashed his low shot well wide of the target.

Cann had to be alert again on 88 minutes to grab Adam's long-ranger as the Reds pressed forward in search of an equaliser.

ROTHERHAM UNITED: Cann, Lynch, Sharps, Coughlan (Joseph 80), Green, Mills (Rhodes 80), Harrison, Hudson (Morrison 85), Holmes (Yates 80), Taylor (Cahill 84), Reid.

BARNSLEY: Steele, Foster (Van Homoet 79), Souza, Moore, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Howard, Butterfield, El Haimour (Devaney 74), Macken (Adam 68), Odejayi.
Subs: Letheren, Johnson, Heslop, Atkinson, Hunt.