Rotherham United 1-1 Watford: Both sides continue decent start to season
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Richard Wood now has four goals this season
Rotherham continued their bright start to the Championship season with a battling draw at home to Watford.
Evergreen defender Richard Wood continued his fine run by heading in his fourth goal of the campaign to put the Millers ahead inside three minutes.
The Hornets withstood some pressure before Vakoun Bayo lashed a superb leveller with a far-post volley on 33 minutes.
Despite chances at both ends the points were shared as both sides drew their fourth game of the season.
Rotherham remain unbeaten at home while all of Watford's away games have ended all-square.
Centre-back Wood broke the deadlock when he ghosted in to head Wes Harding's cross past Daniel Bachmann - the 37-year-old's fourth goal in seven matches.
Lee Peltier denied Joao Pedro an instant reply with a block but the Millers continued to press the visitors and left the Hornets looking rattled in the opening half hour.
Watford debutant Kortney Hause charged down an effort from Brooke Norton-Cuffey while Conor Washington dragged a shot wide after exchanging passes with Ben Wiles on 24 minutes.
Bayo was handed a start for Watford after his last-gasp winner against Middlesbrough in midweek and he repaid the faith as he grabbed the equaliser.
The Ivorian unleashed a rasping far-post volley past Viktor Johansson and into the top corner from Ken Sema's deep cross.
After the interval the hosts applied some more pressure with Hause needing to nip in and beat Washington to Norton-Cuffy's pull-back, while a Harding effort rebounded to Peltier who saw his first-time shot deflected wide by Craig Cathcart.
At the other end Johansson turned away a powerful effort from Yaser Asprilla following some good work from Pedro, and Asprilla lashed over just before the hour when he might have passed to Bayo or Pedro either side of him.
Pedro saw appeals for a penalty dismissed after going down in the box under pressure from Cohen Bramall, who drew a low save from Bachmann from a free-kick on 67 minutes.
Pedro's in-swinging cross towards Bayo evaded everyone before coming back off the post, and in the final 20 minutes it needed a sliding intervention from Harding to prevent a low cross-shot from substitute Keinan Davis finding Bayo.
The Millers repelled some late pressure and endured nine minutes of stoppage time on their way to a fourth game unbeaten at New York Stadium following promotion.
It was a fourth draw for the Hornets in as many away games, the third finishing 1-1, as they lost ground on early leaders Norwich.
Rotherham United boss Paul Warne told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"I thought the lads were excellent, especially in the first half. You could see by the end they were jaded. I don't want to whittle on but it doesn't make sense to me that some teams play on a Tuesday and some on a Wednesday. I think you could see by the end who had played on the Wednesday night.
"We hung in, it was good character. A point is a good point in this league, especially against a good Watford team like that."
Watford manager Rob Edwards told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"We put ourselves in a difficult position. The first 20 minutes weren't good enough, not just the goal but we didn't compete well enough.
"You know what's coming when you come to Rotherham and I'm very frustrated and angry with that because we knew what was coming and we didn't stand up to it well enough.
"We want to win games, we don't want to go anywhere and draw. We tried to win, we were pushing to win and they were settling for a draw. It's a good result for them but a frustrating afternoon for us."