Cardiff City 0-0 Rotherham United

Cardiff City's Adam Le Fondre (R) played for Rotherham between 2009 and 2011, scoring 58 goals in 105 appearances

Cardiff City failed to win at home for the first time in six matches after a goalless draw against struggling Rotherham United.

Federico Macheda had the Bluebirds' best effort, but his shot was saved by Millers goalkeeper Adam Collin.

Adam Revell hit the crossbar with a header for United in a match of few clear-cut chances.

Rotherham remain one place above the relegation zone in 21st, while Cardiff drop to ninth.

Steve Evans' side have now gone eight matches without a win in the Championship.

But their hard-fought point at the Cardiff City Stadium extends the gap between them and 22nd placed Brighton, who lost 3-0 at leaders Derby, to two points.

Bluebirds boss Russell Slade, meanwhile, was hoping to exact revenge over the Yorkshire side, who won promotion from League One in the play-off final in May on penalties, when he was in charge of Leyton Orient.

The visitors, who have only won once on the road in the league this season, started the brightest with midfielder Richard Smallwood's long-range effort going narrowly wide of the Cardiff goal.

Rotherham dominated possession in the first half, but failed to create any real chances of note.

Cardiff also struggled to get going and forced their first corner of the half in the 43rd minute.

After the break United were first to threaten to break the deadlock, as former Manchester United forward Tom Lawrence cut inside the Cardiff penalty area, but saw his effort well held by goalkeeper David Marshall.

Moments later Rotherham's Argentine midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma, on loan from Middlesbrough, went close, striking a free-kick from 25 yards out, narrowly wide of the Bluebirds' upright.

Second-half substitute Macheda came on for the largely ineffective Kenwyne Jones and his arrival sparked the liveliest spell of the match as Cardiff pressed forward.

Peter Whittingham and Adam Le Fondre had efforts on goal blocked, before Aaron Gunnarsson's pass picked out Italian striker Macheda in the area, but his shot was parried away by Rotherham keeper Collin.

The visitors counter-attacked in a breathless passage of play, which ended as Revell headed Smallwood's cross against the Cardiff crossbar.

Cardiff manager Russell Slade: "The whole changing room is very disappointed because we got a terrific result last week, trained really well but were below par today.

"We deviated from our game plan and what we're good at and it hasn't got us the result that we wanted.

"If you look at the bigger picture, it's our third clean sheet in four, however, are we the finished article? Of course we are not."

Rotherham manager Steve Evans on his on-loan midfielder Tom Lawrence: "Tom's a real smashing talent, in the first half he was unplayable.

"The boys at Cardiff had a real problem with him, he was popping up everywhere on the pitch and hurting them with his quality on the ball.

"Leicester manager Nigel Pearson might be saying in January that he is a big part of what they are trying to do because he showed today he should be playing a level above."