Skipper Sam Morsy netted his first goal of the season to level Sam Nombe’s early opener for Rotherham to leave the score 1-1 at half-time at the New York Stadium.

Town boss Kieran McKenna made three changes for this evening’s rearranged live-on-Sky game at Rotherham United with Axel Tuanzebe coming into the side for his league debut along with Marcus Harness and Kayden Jackson.

Tuanzebe came in at centre-half for Luke Woolfenden, who was missing from the squad in the league for the first time since the game at Cambridge in February.

Woolfenden was on the bench, while Jackson took over wide on the right from Omari Hutchinson, who was also among the subs.

Harness took over from Nathan Broadhead on the left, with the Wales international not in the squad having been ill.

Brandon Williams, who missed Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Birmingham due to illness, was back on the bench.

Of Town’s three ex-Millers, George Hirst started and Freddie Ladapo and Dominic Ball were on the bench.

Rotherham made two changes from the team which drew 1-1 at home to QPR on Saturday with full debutant Daniel Ayala and Nombe coming into the team, while Jordan Hugill and club captain Sean Morrison dropped to the bench.

The Blues, wearing their new white and black third kit for the first time, as they had planned to for the postponed first staging of the game last month, found themselves a goal behind following the first serious attack of the game in the fourth minute.

Leif Davis chested a floated ball played wide to him just inside the Town half by Tuanzebe into the path of Fred Onyedinma, who brought it forward into the area on the right before sending over a low cross which Nombe slid over the line from close range to claim his first goal for the Millers.

Town protested that the former Exeter man had been offside but more in hope than expectation and the goal stood.

The Blues quickly looked to get back on terms, Conor Chaplin skipping inside his man to work space on the edge of the box on seven but his strike deflected behind and the corner came to nothing.

But the goal had given the home side and their fans confidence and they put the Blues under a spell of pressure just after the 10-minute mark, Cameron Burgess turning a low cross from the left out for a corner, then Christ Tiehi shot only just over from 20 yards following the flag-kick.

Town were giving the ball away too easily in their own half, while Rotherham were giving them little time to pass out from the back.

Despite having been on the back foot for the previous few minutes, the Blues levelled in the 19th minute.

Jackson was fouled on the right by ex-Colchester full-back Cohen Bramall. Davis feinted to cross into the box but cut back to the 18-yard line from where unmarked skipper Sam Morsy curled a brilliant strike into the top corner of the net, the Egyptian international’s first goal of the season.

Having got on terms, the Blues began to take control of the game, although without immediately creating another opportunity.

On 33, they looked to have a very strong claim for a penalty when the ball was chipped forward to Hirst on the right of the area and the striker appeared to have his standing leg taken away by Hakeem Odoffin as he took it down.

Chaplin in particular seemed convinced but referee Graham Scott showed no interest. Had there been VAR, then there’s little doubt Town would have been awarded a penalty.

Six minutes later, Harry Clarke will feel he should have done better having been given a free header from a corner from the left, the right-back heading down into the ground and wide.

During two minutes of additional time, Nombe hit a shot well wide for the Millers from just outside the area.

That was the last action of the first half, the Blues again having started slowly, as they have on a number of occasions recently, and were punished for the early error with Davis having been able to deal with the ball better than he did, although with Tuanzebe’s pass not the most judicious.

Having gone behind, the Millers briefly put the Blues under a spell of pressure. But that ended abruptly when the Blues levelled from another well-worked free-kick, Davis disguising his pass superbly before cutting back to Morsy, whose finish was top drawer.

From there, Town took control and Clarke will feel he ought to have scored his header, while Hirst should certainly have been awarded a penalty after the foul by Odoffin.

While not at their best, the Blues will feel they should go on to win the game from here in the second half.

Rotherham United: Johansson, Lembikisa, Bramall, Ayala, Cafu, Clucas, Onyedinma, Rathbone (c), Odoffin, Tiehi, Nombe. Subs: Phillips, Eaves, Hugill, Kelly, Lindsay, Morrison, Revan, Appiah.

Town: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo, Jackson, Chaplin, Harness, Hirst. Subs: Walton, Woolfenden, Williams, Ball, Taylor, Humphreys, Hutchinson, Scarlett, Ladapo. Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire).

Photo: Matchday Images

BlueWax added 21:03 - Nov 7 No penalty given....what a kin joke
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