Wednesday suffered penalty shootout heartbreak at Hillsborough as local rivals Rotherham advanced into round two of the Carling Cup.

Etienne Esajas was the fall guy for the Owls, missing his decisive spot kick to seal victory for the Millers.

Esajas had earlier put Wednesday into the driving seat with a brace but the Millers hit back with goals from Alex Rhodes and Reuben Reid to send the game to penalties.

The Owls made five changes from the side that thumped Burnley in the Championship on Saturday.

Richard Hinds, Marcus Tudgay, Sean McAllister, Jermaine Johnson and Akpo Sodje were missing from the starting line-up and replaced by Peter Gilbert, Jimmy Smith, Steve Watson, Esajas and Leon Clarke respectively.

Rotherham were first to show inside the first two minutes when Ryan Taylor fired narrowly wide after turning Mark Beevers in the box.

Former Millers man Deon Burton went close at the other end before Clarke headed home Smith's corner but the strike was disallowed for pushing in the penalty area.

Watson then glided in a chipped effort that rebounded to safety from Andy Warrington's crossbar before the game sprung dramatically into life with two goals in little more than a minute.

Moments after forcing a smart diving save from Warrington, it was on-song Esajas that gave Wednesday the lead. The Dutchman skilfully evaded two defenders on the left edge of the box and unleashed a lashing drive that flew across Warrington and into the Leppings Lane net.

But the hosts' lead was short-lived as Rotherham hit back in an instant. Ian Sharps launched a hopeful ball upfield that caused problems at the heart of the Wednesday defence and Rhodes nipped in to profit with a cool finish past Lee Grant.

Undaunted by that swift setback, Wednesday hit Esajas at every opportunity as the winger was giving Mark Lynch a torrid time down the left flank. One teasing cross found its way right into the danger zone but Burton was just beaten to the ball by Nick Fenton.

Sharp had a shot blocked by Beevers in a rare Rotherham attack before the Owls were denied once more by the woodwork on 41 minutes. Watson won a free kick 25 yards from goal and dangerman Esajas stepped up to whip in a curling effort that beat Warrington all ends up but came back off the keeper's crossbar.

The Owls began the second half as they ended the first with Esajas at the hub of the action. The former Vitesse Arnhem man, starting on the right immediately after the break, bamboozled two defenders and danced into the box but his fierce shot was parried out by Warrington.

Taylor fired in a low effort that whistled past Grant's right post as the Millers began to up the ante but the visitors were soon back on the defensive, with Richard Wood launching a piledriver from distance that flew into the Kop.

McAllister replaced Burton on 63 minutes and the Owls switched their system to a five-man midfield, leaving Clarke alone up front.

The woodwork again came to the Millers' rescue with ten minutes left on the clock. Clarke held off his marker to tee up Smith 20 yards out and the Chelsea loanee unleashed a wicked drive that struck the bar but to the relief of the travelling fans the ball bounced to safety.

The contest moved into extra time and Clarke went close for the Owls three minutes after the resumption, just failing to get on the end of a cross from substitute Rocky Lekaj.

Both sides were lacking any real attacking thrust to force a significant breakthrough as the game developed into a stalemate. Reid had a good chance nine minutes from the end, beating Wood to the ball and cutting inside but Grant cleared the danger.

There was still time for late drama, though, as Marc Joseph saw red for pulling Clarke back as the striker bore down on goal and Esajas converted the resulting free kick to hand the advantage back to the hosts.

But Rotherham refused to lay down and after Mark Hudson rattled the crossbar, Reid blasted home the rebound to take the tie to penalties.

Owls: Grant, Gilbert, Spurr, Beevers, Wood (c), Smith (Rocky Lekaj 88), O'Connor, Watson (Boden 77), Esajas, Clarke, Burton (McAllister 63)

Unused substitutes: O'Donnell, McMenamin, Lunt

Rotherham: Warrington, Lynch, Harrison, Mills (c), Sharps, Fenton (Todd 113), Hudson, Joseph, Rhodes (Green 89), Taylor (Yates 89), Reid

Unused substitutes: Cann, Tonge, Cummins, Holmes

Referee: Mr N. Miller

Attendance: 16,298

 

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