Rotherham United missed the chance to secure their first victory of the Championship season after being held to a 0-0 draw with Preston North End at the New York Stadium tonight.

Chasing their first points of the season, the bottom-of-the-table Millers had no shortage of motivation coming into the contest and they almost moved ahead on 13 minutes.

Lewis Buxton whipped in a pinpoint cross after beating two men at the byline, but Matt Derbyshire could only turn the delivery wide of Jordan Pickford's goal.

Steve Evans kept faith with under-fire goalkeeper Kelle Roos for the visit of Preston, despite costly errors in his first two games for the club.

However, the Dutchman looked determined to vindicate the manager as he belied his early-season reputation by denying Greg Cunningham and Joe Garner just before the half-hour mark.

Both sides had chances to break the deadlock early in the second period, with Garner's tame header cleared off the line by Buxton, while Joe Newell drilled just wide at the other end.

Will Keane slowly but surely came into the contest, with the Manchester United loanee firing over the bar before teeing up Paul Gallagher, whose first-time volley sailed wide on the hour mark.

Second-half substitute Jonson Clarke-Harris could, and perhaps should, have opened the scoring on 66 minutes but the forward blazed over following Derbyshire's tidy tee-up.

The Lilywhites grew in full control by way of possession and chances, and the woodwork denied them on 78 minutes when Bailey Wright crashed his header against the crossbar in what proved the last chance.

The point lifts Rotherham - who started the night bottom of the table - up to 22nd, while Simon Grayson's men move to sixth.