Millers up and running ... on-the-whistle report: Rotherham United 1 York City 1
Ewan Otoo scored his first goal for the Millers
Rotherham United put their first point of the 2026/27 campaign on the board as they drew with York City in their opening League Two match on home soil.
They led in the first half but were pegged back before the interval, then battled hard in a goalless second period at AESSEAL New York Stadium in front of a good-sized crowd.
The Millers were hit by an injury as Lenny Agbaire had to depart proceedings with what looked like a hamstring problem.
The outcome between two committed teams was a fair one.
Rotherham made the stronger start and Paul Mullin should have done better than a wild slash over the bar from just outside the area in the early stages.
The visitors, newly promoted to the division, worked their way into the contest but didn't trouble goalkeeper Ted Cann.
There was a good atmosphere inside the ground. The Millers were being around 5,300 season tickets while followers of the Minstermen, buoyed by a come-from-behind victory the previous week against Bristol Rovers, filled the South Stand.
The volume level went through the roof on 20 minutes when Rotherham took the lead.
Kian Spence swung in a corner and there was summer signing Ewan Otoo to direct the ball into the roof of the net and open his account for his new club.
The Millers now had the upper hand again in a keenly-contested clash and a teasing Spence delivery just evaded Sonny Aljofree at the back post.
However, they were pegged back five minutes before the break when the visitors equalised against the run of play.
They broke quickly and Alex Newby was at the far post to neatly tuck the ball away from close range and then taunt the North Stand.
Alex Bruce's side nearly fell behind in first-half stoppage time when Cann parried Newby's shot and Ollie Pearce aimed for an empty net. A stunning block from Agbaire kept the scores level.
Rotherham were without midfielder Jamie Jellis, who had started the previous two matches, and that meant there was a place in the side for Ossama Ashley.
Up front, Paul Mullin was partnered with Fabio Tavares after the pair had looked dangerous together in the opening-day clash at Cheltenham Town last weekend.
The Millers found themselves under pressure at the start of the second period.
Tom Bradshaw had come on as a substitute, along with debutant Kieran Ngwenya, and tried his luck from distance as the home side tried to force themselves more regularly into the opposition half.
Cann saved sharply to deny Pearce as the match hung in the balance and, at the other end, Jili Buyabu made a couple of inroads that came to nothing.
Bradshaw was foiled by a Alfie McNally stop, as the clock began to tick down, and Spence's fierce follow-up was deflected for a corner.
The Millers pushed for a winner in the dying minutes but it wouldn’t come and they had a let-off when Jeff King lofted the ball over the bar with virtually the last kick.
Not the best result, but not the worst one either.
The Bruce era is up and running.
Rotherham (3-5-2): Ted Cann; Sonny Aljofree, Lenny Agbaire (Joe Rafferty 67), Ewan Otoo; Denzel Hall, Ossama Ashley (Kieran Ngwenya, 57), Brandon Cover, Kian Spence, Jili Buyabu; Paul Mullin (Ar'Jany Martha 76), Fabio Tavares (Tom Bradshaw 57). Subs not used: Julian Eyestone, Aaron Nemane, Marvin Kaleta.
York (4-3-2-1): Alfie McNally; Joe Felix (Jeff King 71), Morgan Williams, Zak Johnson (Ryan Fallowfield 30), Mark Kitchen (Charlie McArthur 71); Ollie Banks, Alex Hunt (Arthur Read 67), Harry Boyes; Joe Grey, Alex Newby; Ollie Pearce. Subs not used: George Sykes-Kenworthy, Zech Medley, Ben Farrar.
Goals: Otoo 20 (Rotherham); Newby 40 (York)
Referee: Declan Bourne (Nottinghamshire)
Attendance: 9,807 (2,479)