RAUL Correia’s second-half goal earned York City reserves a 1-1 home draw against Rotherham at Bootham Crescent.

The on-loan Blackpool striker cancelled out Kuda Muskwe’s effort for the Millers after Louis Almond has seen a 29th-minute penalty saved in the Central League contest. City included nine players with first-team experience as Correia and Almond were joined by Luke Simpson, Josh Law, Marcus Williams, Theo Wharton, Dan Parslow, Clovis Kamdjo, and Connor Smith in the starting XI.

Teenagers Vinny Steels and Harry Thompson also started.

In contrast, the visitors fielded a rookie side with left-back Ben Purrington and attacking midfielder Jerry Yates the only players to have featured in League One this season.

The hosts made the early running with a strong 20-yard effort by Wharton well saved by Rotherham keeper Laurence Bilboe and Josh Law curling over from a free kick.

Thompson also sidefooted high and wide from the edge of the box while Muskwe’s header for the Millers, following Mason Warren’s cross, lacked the power to trouble Simpson.

The Minstermen went on to see Almond miss the target with a shot on the turn from just outside the penalty area, before Kamdjo headed wide from a Law corner.

Simpson, meanwhile, was quick out of his goal to deny Rotherham’s trialist right winger in a one-on-one situation.

Striker Muskwe went on to lift an edge-of-the-box opportunity over an unguarded net after he had ridden a Simpson challenge.

City’s best chance to open the scoring before the break came when 16-year-old left-winger Steels, who had played with positivity and confidence throughout the half, raced on to a Correia pass, rounded Bilboe and then saw his goal-bound shot handled by Jack Osborne, who had charged back to cover the near post.

But Almond blasted the resulting spot kick straight down the middle of the goal and it was kept out by Bilboe’s trailing leg.

The Millers’ response saw Ben Wiles hit the roof of the David Longhurst Stand from distance but, after half-chances for Almond and Kamdjo had reaped no reward for City, Muskwe opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time.

Sizing up a shot 20 yards from goal, his weak curling effort bounced over a diving Simpson into the home net. After the restart, Thompson’s stray pass sent the away trialist clear through the right channel again, but he blazed over with only Simpson to beat and the Minstermen levelled just before the hour.

Almond sent in an inviting low cross from the right that Correia took one touch to control before guiding a controlled finish into Bilboe’s bottom corner from six yards as the Rotherham net-minder came out to meet him.

On 81 minutes, Correia came close to a second goal, but his well-struck 12-yard drive was too close to Bilboe and sub Aaron Haswell could not force in the rebound.

Wharton’s goal-bound volley was also cleared by Wiles, but Yates went closes to winning the game in stoppage time when his 20-yard drive flashed past Simpson's left-hand upright.

City: Simpson, Law, Parslow, Kamdjo, Williams, Smith, Wharton, Thompson, Almond, Steels (Haswell, 70), Correia.