Highs and lows for Josh Kayode ... on-the-whistle report: Mansfield Town 1 Rotherham United 1
The promoted Millers are down on numbers as they gear up for the start of their Championship campaign in a fortnight and can ill afford to lose more men to the treatment room.
Striker Kayode gave them the lead this afternoon against League Two Mansfield Town with his second goal in two outings but within four minutes he had to leave the action after pulling up lame.
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Hide AdRotherham, looking to make new signings before opening day at home to Swansea City, already had six players sidelined before this latest blow.
Paul Warne's men could have gone ahead in the first minute but home goalkeeper Christy Pym made the save as Ben Wiles tried to head home Dan Barlaser's inviting cross.
Six minutes later it was Mansfield's turn to threaten as Will Swann cut inside from the right and fired a low shot only inches wide of Viktor Johansson's far post.
Temperatures were in the high 70s at sunny Field Mill and there was a water break on the quarter-hour mark.
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Hide AdSuitably refreshed, Barlaser played a peach of ball to release Conor Washington whose right-flank delivery was almost met by Kayode.
An even contest between two committed teams was interrupted by another break for fluids, after 30 minutes.
Both sides were keen to attack but sights of goal were few and far between.
Pym was called into action again on 35 minutes when Kayode picked out Peter Kioso in the box but the stop from the summer signing's header was a routine one.
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Hide AdEight minutes into the second period, the match sparked into life as Washington's header following Chiedozie Ogbene's break went just the wrong side of the post while at the other end Millers old boy Jordan Bowery tested Johansson's reflexes.
Soon after, Rotherham took the lead.
Barlaser offered his usual precision supply from a 60th-minute corner and Kayode's head did the rest to devastating effect.
A phalanx of substitutions saw both teams change virtually their entire starting 11s during the second half and the Millers looked to be seeing out the contest.
That changed four minutes from time when Mansfield substitute Rhys Oates charged down the right and unleashed a fierce low shot across Johansson and into the net.
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Hide AdIt hurt. But not as big as much as the sight of Kayode hobbling out of proceedings.
Mansfield (3-5-2): Christie Pym; John-Joe O'Toole, Oli Hawkins, Riley Harbottle (George Cooper 76); Jordan Bowery (Kellan Gordon 70), George Lapslie (George Maris 65), Dylan McGeouch (Stephen Quinn 65), Ollie Clarke (Hiram Boateng 65), Stephen McLaughlin; Will Swan (Jason Law 76), Lucas Akins (Rhys Oates 76). Subs not used: Owen Mason, James Gale.
Rotherham (3-5-2): Viktor Johansson; Cameron Humphreys (Jake Hull 61), Richard Wood (Jake Champion 76), Hakeem Odoffin; Peter Kioso (Joel Holvey 70), Ben Wiles (Ollie Rathbone 61), Dan Barlaser (Mackenzie Warne 70), Jamie Lindsay (Curtis Durose 70), Chiedozie Ogbene (Hamish Douglas, 70); Conor Washington, Josh Kayode (Georgie Kelly 65). Subs not used: Josh Vickers.
Goals: Kayode 60 (Rotherham), Oates 86 (Mansfield).
Referee: Josh Smith (Cambridgeshire).
Attendance: 2,440 (410).