Christ Tiehi netted a 91st-minute equaliser to deny the Blues all three points as Town and Rotherham United drew 2-2 at the New York Stadium. Sam Nombe gave the Millers the lead in the fourth minute but skipper Sam Morsy levelled with a brilliant strike on 19. Town looked to have won it when Jack Taylor scored three minutes from the end but Tiehi struck back in injury time to claim a share of the points for the South Yorkshiremen.

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 Sam 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.

The Blues began the second half as they’d ended the first, in charge but without creating chances.

On 56, Chaplin’s clever pass sent Jackson away on the right. The wideman’s deep cross reached Davis but his cut back deflected behind off Dexter Lembikisa. Hirst flicked on the corner, but the loose ball just wouldn’t fall for Chaplin.

Two minutes later, Rotherham swapped former Norwich City central defender Ayala for Morrison.

As the hour mark passed, the Blues were dominating the ball for long passages of possession.

On 61, Davis shot over from distance, then a minute later a Massimo Luongo strike was blocked behind for a corner.

Three minutes later, Rotherham swapped Onyedimna and Sam Clucas for Hugill and Seb Revan.

Moments after the substitutions had been made, Chaplin tried to thread in Hirst from the left but the ball was cut out. However, it fell loose to Chaplin but his first-time shot flew well over.

In the 65th minute, there was a rare chance for the Millers, Morrison nodding wide of Vaclav Hladky’s right post following a spell of head tennis inside the area after a Rotherham free-kick midway inside their half.

Within a minute, Chaplin saw another shot from the edge of the box blocked before Rotherham made their final change, Georgie Kelly taking over from Nombe.

Town made three changes in the 69th minute, Ladapo, Omari Hutchinson and Jack Taylor replacing Hirst, Jackson and Luongo.

Hutchinson made an immediate impression, getting down the right and standing up a cross which reached Chaplin. The forward had his back to goal, so played it wide to Davis, who returned the ball but Chaplin’s subsequent shot was took high.

Town continued to dominate the half and on 76 sub Revan was booked for a poor challenge on Hutchinson as the on-loan Chelsea man burst round the outside of him chasing a pass.

The Blues had another very strong claim for a penalty in the 77th minute, Tuanzebe’s header from Davis’s left-sided corner clearly hitting a Rotherham arm. Again referee Scott wasn’t interested.

Three minutes later, Morsy sent Hutchinson away down the right and the winger just reached it before it went behind and crossed for Chaplin, who scuffed his shot, last season’s top scorer having had a frustrating night in front of goal.

In the 82nd minute, Lembikisa shot well wide after a long throw had been cleared, then seconds later Morsy was booked for a foul on his Millers counterpart Ollie Rathbone. While Rotherham prepared to take the free-kick, Town swapped Chaplin for Dane Scarlett.

The Millers enjoyed a spell on top with the Blues unable to clear their lines following another long throw from the left. Eventually, the ball fell to Kelly in a dangerous area on the right of the area but Hladky spread himself to block.

But Town quickly got back in the ascendency and in the 87th minute, they went in front for the first time.

The ball was crossed from the right, Scarlett failed to connect with an overhead kick and it reached Davis, who whipped over a low cross. Rathbone sought to clear but smashed against Taylor and the ball ricocheted into the net with Ladapo just avoiding the temptation of adding a final touch.

The players celebrated Taylor's first league goal for the club in front of the 2,133 Town fans behind the goal.

The Blues brought on Ball for Harness to see out the final minutes, including six added on.

Town looked on their way to the three points but there was to be a sting in the tail.

Following a long throw, a Kelly shot from the edge of the box was blocked but fell to Christ Tiehi, who curled a shot beyond Hladky and into the corner of the net to send the previously sullen fans wild.

It had been a goal out of nothing at a time when the Blues looked to have had the game won.

The Blues kept pushing for a winner in the remaining minutes but it was Rotherham fans on their feet applauding at the final whistle.

Town will certainly feel it’s two points dropped having scored what looked to be the winner with only three minutes remaining.

To concede so late in the day having got into that position was sloppy, although they had similarly failed to clear their lines on a couple of occasions early on.

Town will also believe they were denied two penalties, one for the foul on Hirst in the first half and the handball from Tuanzebe's header in the second. The Blues remain the only team whose games are still to feature a penalty this season.

Despite the draw being disappointing, the result moves the second-placed Blues three points off leaders Leicester and eight in front of third-placed Leeds, now all having played the same number of games. Town’s club record unbeaten away league run is now up to 17.

The Blues, whose on New York Stadium remains the 5-2 victory eight years ago today in which Daryl Murphy scored a hat-trick, are next in action against Swansea City at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.

Rotherham United: Johansson, Lembikisa, Bramall, Ayala (Morrison 58), Cafu, Clucas (Revan 64), Onyedinma (Hugill 64), Rathbone (c), Odoffin, Tiehi, Nombe (Kelly 68). Unused: Phillips, Eaves, Lindsay, Appiah.

Town: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo (Taylor 69), Jackson (Hutchinson 69), Chaplin (Scarlett 82), Harness, Hirst (Ladapo 69). Unused: Walton, Woolfenden, Williams, Ball, Taylor, Humphreys, Hutchinson, Scarlett, Ladapo. Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire). Att: 10,800 (Town: 2,133).

Photo: Matchday Images

pennblue added 22:57 - Nov 7 Disappointing not to win, but again we pick up a useful point whilst not being at our best. We know where we need to improve, attack needs to be quicker and sharper and defence needs to be tightened up. Would love to see Humphries be given more game time (as a sub) if he is deemed physically strong enough to stand up to the demands of the Championship.
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d77sgw added 23:00 - Nov 7 Harness does seem to do better as a sub. Hirst seems very off thr pace at the moment. Jackson is a good worker but v little end product - again, better off the bench against tiring legs. Generally a reasonable performance against a team who are no mugs (beat Norwich, drew at Southampton), and which we deserved to win IMO.
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VanDusen added 23:12 - Nov 7 Dropping Woolfy proves to be costly. That opener was all on Tuanzebe and not the only rustiness he (admittedly understandably) showed tonight. Still - given how often we've got beaten up there against probably the team we least like to play in this league then will take the point. Tbh - it would have been a bit of a steal if we had won even despite the luckiness of our 2nd goal in any case. All ok provided we follow it up with a home win on Saturday.

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TimmyH added 23:18 - Nov 7 Didn't do enough to win tonight I'm afraid and all in all another mixed performance, Although we had a fair share of the ball 2nd half we were poor in the final third and didn't test their goalkeeper enough. A number of players were a bit disappointing and Harness showing why he's not a starter, quiet from Luongo too, thought Tuanzebe had a reasonable game and missed Broadhead up front, Ladapo just doesn't look sharp enough at this level. Not a disaster but there was a chance to put us 10 points ahead of Leeds...

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MickMillsTash added 23:22 - Nov 7 8 points from the last 4, 3 of those games away Players rested up for Saturday In the last 2 games teams have hardly dominated or created chance after chance But Birmingham in the first half and today in the second half the opposition got closer to Morsy and we become a lot less effective when that happens. Rotherham are going down
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churchmans added 23:25 - Nov 7 I only came on here to read blueboy1981's comments lol All pluses tonight which I added to! No negatives lol
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Mariner1974 added 23:44 - Nov 7 Haven't commented for while, as don't always need to when we're flying high and I've just been enjoying how well we've been playing. Knew that we might be in for some stick on here tonight as people will be getting twitchy after 2 draws, but come on, we were the better football side & have won some games we could have lost in shoot outs against Cardiff/ Blackburn etc. 71% possession, just with less of the end product tonight. The last 20 you could visibly see us take it up a level. Fitness kicked in and we upp'd the pace and precision. It just looked a matter of time before we scored and we did. The annoyance from everyone wouldn't have come into play if we'd not have conceded near the end. Yes bitter pill to swallow, but we've scored enough late goals against teams. They were only going to score from head ping pong / a set piece or a long throw. Shame that we gave them that chance, but overall we were the best team and will continue to show that in games. Hirst getting stick when only a few games ago he scored a great goal at home to Plymouth & he holds the ball up beautifully and causes defences all manner of problems. Poor Jackson always gets stick. He's Mckenna's Marcus Bent. Always the easiest for fans to point the finger at. Our points haul surpasses even our wildest dreams at this stage and we showed the resilience to come back at wet and miserable Birmingham, at wet and miserable Huddersfield, and again tonight in Rotherham. There are gonna be games against less classy football teams, and we might struggle more in them than when playing a Leeds, Blackburn or Sunderland. Rest up lads and get back on it Saturday at home to Swansea. Hopefully the sun will be shining and we can pass the ball around the Portman pitch the wonderful way that has put smiles on our faces all season long. Up the Town!

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keighleyblue added 00:12 - Nov 8 Strange team selection tonight i thought. Chappers forgot to bring his shooting boots and our forwards generally had an off day, Hirst couldn't shake off his man marker and Freddie thought played too deep when he came on, no-one in the box to pick up the crosses that Leif and Omari kept whipping in from the wings.
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Karlosfandangal added 03:12 - Nov 8 Saxonblue74 Fully agree with you but from our previous chats see what I mean about the site turning toxic when results are not going our way. Player are starting to be called out who were gods a few weeks back
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ThaiBlue added 05:34 - Nov 8 Dont think the small pitch helped us with our stretching teams with our passing.hurst ladapo jackson not great today need to start omar and get scarlett on from the start.axel done ok and will get better.3pts so close but 1 better than none.well done fans who travelled tonight.
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Saxonblue74 added 06:35 - Nov 8 Karlos, the thing is results ARE going our way imo! If 2 away draws on the bounce and 8 points from 12 constitute our "blip" as some are already calling it I'll take that all day long!
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therein61 added 06:55 - Nov 8 Maybe we should have had 3 points but one at Rotherham is a good one we seem a bit off the pace up front at the mo so get it together you boys and reward those who travelled last night with a good win on Saturday
0

Kirbmeister added 07:51 - Nov 8 Any point away from home is a good one. We’re not going to turn it on every game. Most of these were championship sides last season and no teams are a push over. Our record this season is remarkable. We did play some decent football without a cutting edge. Two big players out as well. We’re doing just fine.
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oldelsworthyfan added 08:08 - Nov 8 Hirst been getting some stick he doesn't deserve (although he needs to work on his left foot). He's quite a handful, opening up defences for others to score.
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UhlenbeekDownTheWing added 08:39 - Nov 8 Tuanzebe had a decent game given he hasn't played a league match in how long? That said, his decision to float a pass out to Davis for the first goal was madness - that is not how we play at all...we don't float passes behind full backs from distance such that they can only chest it inside and the oppo have loads of time to press the touch (we go aerial when we hit long diagonals, ahead of the FB to run onto). I don't recall any CB playing that pass all season. Hirst's biggest issue is that refs seem to hate him and give him absolutely no decisions ever! I find the criticism of him pretty harsh, we underperformed and so he got essentially no service at all. Yes the ball bounced off him during the first 20 mins, but from there he had a solid game. Harness really grew into the game - like the rest of the team he came out the blocks very slowly, but after the half hour he started playing like he has off the bench this season. Moving him central and Chaplin to the left worked well and gave Chaplin more space and influence too. Taylor has improved loads in the last few weeks - really tidy today, moved the ball well and great burst to get in the position to fluke that goal. Has to be in contention to start on Saturday.

4

martin587 added 08:48 - Nov 8 A well earned point when we weren’t at our usual best.Eight points above third placed Leeds what is there not too like.We will have a lot of games when not playing well but any point away from home is good on a damp mid week game in Yorkshire.At least I was pleased on my long drive home. Who would have ever thought we would be second after fifteen games in a tough league.COYB.

4

Sandman180 added 08:55 - Nov 8 Tricky one to analyse that - conceding so late felt like defeat, 9 times out of 10, he undoubtedly shanks it and it's into the stands, just one of those things guess! On the balance of play, within the second half certainly, it's hard not to feel aggrieved that we didn't take all three points, although possession aside, we didn't create a lot of clear cut chances during the 90. Lots of poor finishing, distribution into the box was a little 'hit and hope' and the set pieces were dealt with pretty easily. I was quite critical of Burns earlier in the season, and in-particular his inability to get round people in the same irk as Broadhead or Omari; but what's become apparent in the past month it that his passing and final ball supersedes every other winger in the squad, his link up play with Chaplin on the edge of the box was pivotal both last year and early this season - be glad to see him back. Would give Dane a start on Saturday, play him in the 10 perhaps, and give Chaplin a rest - he was pretty wild at points yesterday, could do with break and it would freshen things up - he's the only player immune from the starting 11 shake up it seems at present, and it's hard to judge Dane with intermittent cameos in the last 10 mins. My starting line up for Sunday, presuming those struggling with illness return to the squad of course... Hladky Williams Wolfy Burgess Davis Broadhead Taylor (needs a start now surely..) Morsy Hutchinson Scarlett Hirst Saturday isn't a 'must win' of course, not quite in that territory yet this soon into the season and with the points buffer.. but it almost feels as if we need it; a performance akin to Hull & Preston at home and we'll be laughing. COYB.

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Westy added 08:57 - Nov 8 What a strange game football is. On Saturday we draw 2-2 at Birmingham and it feels like a win. We draw 2-2 at Rotherham and it feels like a defeat. Neither are. Both are good await point. Well done lads.
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barrystedmunds added 09:28 - Nov 8 Feels like lots of experimenting going on at the moment. Last nights game was probably judged as a game we could tinker with and still get a result. I get that; KMcK has pointed out that we’re going into a particularly intense period of fixtures and everyone has to be ready and able to step up to the plate. Against a Rotherham team at the foot of the table, I was expecting a more positive result but then again my expectations are only raised to that level due to the storming start we’ve had to the season.

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herfie added 09:47 - Nov 8 Substandard officials unquestionably affected last night’s result. However, as both KM and young Taylor have said, our overall performance was a mixed bag. Nights like this are part and parcel of the game, and we did not lose! Analyse what happened, pull out the obvious lessons and move on. We know where we’ve set the bar - let’s get back there on Saturday.
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Saxonblue74 added 10:30 - Nov 8 Uhlenbeek, agree with all of your post but in particular Tuanzebe. A very good game apart from "that pass" which I'm sure the boss will have a word about. Very promising though.
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blueboy1981 added 10:38 - Nov 8 All too many seem far too content to rest on our Laurels thus far - blink twice and see if Leeds will be prepared to do that !! Now is the time for us to PUSH ON !! - we could’t be in a better position to do that - so LET’S DO IT - instead of glossing on what we’ve done thus far. WINNERS are all about WINNING !
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Karlosfandangal added 11:11 - Nov 8 Saxonblue74 We will soon be BFF at this rate. Agree. Rotherham have been doing well over the past 4 or 5 games and Birmingham again was a tough match, However some expect a win ever game and I see Jackson is being called out again even some are calling out Chaplin. Town are always going to score goals, for me it’s the defence at the minute 2 against Plymouth Brimingham and Rotherham. Cant say the back four played bad last night (listened on Town TV) but a worry we seem to need 3 for a win.

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Paddy39 added 11:33 - Nov 8 I have to admit I hate to criticise the team but last nights performance was the worst I have seen this season. Having said that, we are in a great position and the club and fans should be very proud of the teams achievements on the pitch so far.
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senduntd added 11:57 - Nov 8 I thought we had left all these half wit referees in the 1st division.
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