Shoot-out success ... on-the-whistle report: Chesterfield 0 Rotherham United 0 (Millers win 4-3 on penalties)

The League One Millers won a shoot-out against the Spireites from the division below after the tie had finished goalless.

Cameron Dawson pulled off a crucial save and Cameron Humphreys slotted in the penalty that sent the visitors into the Northern quarter-finals.

Rotherham had won this tournament in 2022 at the national stadium and hadn't lost in it since 2019 - an unbeaten run stretching to 12 matches.

Make that 13 now

Sights of goal were at a premium until the 18th minute when the Millers were indebted to Hakeem Odoffin who got in a superb block to deny Luton Town loanee Bim Pepple a debut close-range opener for the hosts.

Chesterfield were enjoying the better of proceedings and Ryan Boot remained a spectator in their net. On the occasions that the visitors did attack, they wasted promising positions with poor passing.

Rotherham assistant manager Paul Raynor went into the referee's notebook for protesting too much during a stoppage in play while Zak Jules received treatment.

A good delivery, from Cohen Bramall, finally came and Jordan Hugill was only inches away from making a scoring connection in the first encounter between the two clubs since October 2017.

That clash came in the same competition and the Spireites were 2-1 winners at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Close to half-time, the game's best player, Armando Dobra, skipped through and bent an effort just wide for Chesterfield.

More than 900 Millers fans had made the trip to Derbyshire and were housed in a corner of the SMH Group Stadium.

Elsewhere, empty blue seats abounded, with around two-thirds of the ground not being opened to supporters.

Bramall, released down the left by Reece James' pass, crossed well again on his 100th Rotherham appearance and shouts for handball and a penalty were waved away as the Spireites defence negated the lurking Jonson Clarke-Harris.

Boss Steve Evans had promised to make changes for the clash to keep players fresh for Saturday's league clash with Charlton Athletic and was true to his word.

He kept the back four that had started the 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers three days earlier but there was a new face in every other position in a formation altered from 4-1-3-2 to 4-3-1-2.

Soon after the restart, Jack Holmes blazed high over the bar and Dobra did the same at the end.

Rotherham's front two at last threatened but when Jordan Hugill played in Clarke-Harris his strike partner took too long to get his shot away and the attempt was blocked by Jamie Grimes.

Just past the hour mark, Clarke-Harris found Reece James with a sweeping cross-field pass. The cross was a good one and Andre Green should have done better than head too high.

The chance of the match so far was created by Bramall who made a 70-yard dash down the left wing and sent in a pinpoint delivery only to see Hugill volley over from inside the six-yard box.

The Millers were now enjoying a spell of real dominance and Green was foiled by a great block from Grimes following James' low cross.

Evans made a quadruple substitution in a bid to force a winner and one of them, Shaun McWilliams, quickly brought a save from Boot with a header. The keeper was equal to Sam Nombe’s 90th-minute shot and thus the tie went to a shoot-out.

Cue joy for Rotherham who are now two wins away from a return to Wembley.

Penalties:

Chesterfield, Banks – scores

Rotherham, Clarke-Harris – scores

Chesterfield, Dobra – scores

Rotherham, Nombe – scores

Chesterfield, Drummond – saved

Rotherham, Odoffin – scores

Chesterfield, Cook – scores

Rotherham, Powell – misses

Chesterfield, Oldaker – misses

Rotherham, Humphreys – scores

Chesterfield (4-5-1): Ryan Boot; Ryheem Sheckleford (Janoi Donacien 73), Tom Naylor, Jamie Grimes, Branden Horton; Bailey Hobson (Ollie Banks 73), Liam Mandeville (Tim Akinola 85), Darren Oldaker, Armando Dobra, Ryan Colclough (Kane Drummond 59); Bim Pepple (Connor Cook 85). Subs not used: Max Thompson, Ash Palmer.

Rotherham (4-3-1-2): Cameron Dawson; Joe Rafferty, Hakeem Odoffin, Zak Jules, Reece James; Jack Holmes (Shaun McWilliams 76), Liam Kelly (Cameron Humphreys 76), Cohen Bramall (Ben Hatton 80); Andre Green (Joe Powell 76); Jordan Hugill (Sam Nombe 76), Jonson Clarke-Harris. Subs not used: Dillon Phillips, Jake Hull.

Referee: Scott Oldham (Lancashire)

Attendance: 3,517 (943)