Despite a late Mal Benning strike, Vale fell to first round Carabao Cup defeat as Rotherham’s two first half goals ensured the away side made the second-round draw.
The visitors opened the scoring in the first ten minutes through a freak goal, when Tom Pett’s back pass was redirected by Oliver Rathbone into the net to give Rotherham the lead.
Millers substitute Chiedozie Ogbene doubled the Yorkshire side's lead in stoppage time of the first half, prodding home after good work on the right-hand side from the visitors.
Vale halved the deficit with ten minutes to go, Benning being set free after great work from Tommy McDermott, the wing-back then cut inside from the left and curled home into the bottom righthand corner.
Gavin Massey impressed in his first appearance for the club as the new signing got some valuable minutes in the tank.
Summer signing Rory Holden had the best chance for Vale in the first half, latching on to a Sammy Robinson broke free on the right-hand side to deliver a cross, but our number 17’s looping header just dropped wide.
It looked like the Valiants had pulled one back ten minutes into the second half when Will Forrester headed home from a corner, but the goal was chalked off for an infringement in the area.
Rotherham thought they had made it three with 30 minutes left on the clock when a ball was drifted to the back post into the path of Georgie Kelly who looked certain to head home.
However, Aidan Stone produced a brilliant save from point blank range to deny Kelly, leaving the score at 2-0.
Vale kept pushing for an equaliser in the final minutes of the match with Dan Jones having a crack from distance, but his effort was caught well by Josh Vickers.
Next up for the Valiants is the visit of Bolton Wanderers to Vale Park on Saturday, Darrell Clarke will be hoping the players start that game as they finished tonight’s, on the front foot.
Port Vale | Stone, Forrester, Smith (70’ Ojo), Jones, Robinson (70’ Massey), Pett (69’ McDermott), Walker, Small (70’ Benning), Conlon, Garrity, Holden (70’ Proctor)
Unused subs | Cass, Hall, Agyakwa, Charsley, Plant
Rotherham United | Vickers, Peltier (72’ Wood), Hall (45’ Humphreys), McCart, Kioso (32’ Harding), Rathbone, Barlaser (45’ Lindsay), Bramall, High, Washington (37’ Ogbene), Kelly
Unused subs | Johansson, Wiles, Bola, Ferguson