BURTON Albion kept hold of a collection of unwanted records as Shaun Harrad made a goalscoring return to the Pirelli Stadium.
Harrad has had a barren time since being sold by the Brewers 13 months ago.
He failed to make a significant impact with Northampton Town and has endured a torrid time in League One with Bury.
But a loan move to Rotherham United has given the 27-year-old forward a new lease of life — as Albion discovered to their cost on Saturday.
Harrad scored on his debut in a shock 2-0 win at Southend United, rattled in the only goal from the penalty spot in a midweek win against Accrington Stanley and poached his third goal in as many games to rescue a point for the Millers against his former club.
Harrad struck with a simple goal in the 55th minute to cancel out a first-half strike by Calvin Zola as the Brewers squandered another opportunity to reignite their challenge for a play-off spot.
They have not registered a home victory since November, they have not won a game anywhere in 2012 and Harrad saw to it that they have not kept a clean sheet in 14 league and cup games.
With a taxing run of fixtures awaiting them against League Two’s leadling lights, none of this augers well for Paul Peschisolido’s misfiring team.
Albion played well in patches against the Millers and certainly made the better chances, even in a second half that was largely dominated by the visitors.
But the usual combination of wasteful finishing and a defensive lapse denied them a much-needed victory as the Millers extended their unbeaten record at the Pirelli to four games.
There was little to choose between the sides in an uneventful start to the game.
Sam Wood had a glimpse of Albion’s goal but fired well wide, while the hosts’ first attacking burst ended with Johnny Mullins blocking a stinging shot by Jacques Maghoma.
Unchanged Albion struggled to find any rhythm or fluidity and too often Zola found himself ploughing a lonely furrow up front, with Andres Gurrieri and Jacques Maghoma dropping deep in what was effectively a 4-5-1 formation.
With Rotherham content to feel their way into the game, it took a break by Maghoma to finally bring the game to life in the 23rd minute.
The midfielder took advantage when Mark Bradley lost his footing on the greasy surface but clipped his shot too high from the edge of the area.
And there was more encouragement for the Brewers when the ball broke loose in the area for Adam Bolder only for the former Derby County man to try to make a better opening for himself, allowing the Millers to get bodies in the way of his shot.
Albion had started to impose themselves on the game and produced the best move so far just after the half-hour mark.
The crisp passing of Zola and Bolder opened up the Millers defence for the first time, but Gurrieri drove his shot too close to goalkeeper Rhys Taylor.
With Harrad and fellow striker Alex Revell comfortably contained thus far, the visitors posed little in the way of attacking threat until Jason Taylor surged forward from midfield to drill a left-foot shot wide in the 36th minute.
IT was Albion who broke the stalemate with the goal they just about deserved in the 40th minute.
Skipper John McGrath found a chink in the Rotherham defensive armour with a free kick that exposed the lack of cover at the near post, and Zola jabbed the ball over the line from close range for his 12th of the season.
The Millers showed more urgency at the start of the second half and Harrad had his first chance when the Brewers made a mess of trying to play the ball out of defence, but the striker needed too long to line up his shot and was dispossessed by McGrath.
After weathering a spell of pressure, Albion should have doubled their lead in the 53rd minute after Maghoma charged away on the left after a Rotherham corner kick.
The midfielder’s pass eluded Zola, but Bolder had also joined the break and had a clear run on goal only to shoot hurriedly too high.
It proved a costly miss because Harrad put the Millers level in the 56th minute with surely one of the simplest goals of his career.
Albion failed to deal with a corner driven in low by Wood and the former Albion star was standing virtually on the line when he chested in the equaliser.
Albion introduced Billy Kee as he reurns to fitness in place of Gurrieri – a move greeted with some derision by home fans because of the Argentinian’s energetic display – while Cleveland Taylor and Chris Palmer replaced Jack Dyer and the injured Maghoma as the Brewers reverted to a 4-4-2 formation.
Rotherham had control of the game, though their probing pressure often ground to a halt at the feet or head of the impressive Ryan Austin.
Despite being on the back foot for long periods, it was Albion who fashioned the better chances to win the game as they broke at pace.
A sweet medley of passes by Bolder and McGrath put Zola but the ball stubbornly refused to fall for him to scramble a shot past Rhys Taylor eight yards out.
And the lanky striker wasted an even better opening near the end of normal time after breaking onto a superb pass by Bolder.
Zola danced into open space after luring the keeper from his line, but was driven slightly wide and then a loss of footing forced him to shoot wide of a gaping net with Kee and Palmer lying square of him and unmarked.
Taylor had to produce the save of the game to keep out Bolder’s blistering angled shot in the final act of another frustrating afternoon for Albion and their fans.
