New signing John Piercy made his Brighton and Hove Albion debut on Saturday at sunny Millmoor.

The former Tottenham utility player agreed a one-year contract on Friday after training with the below-strength Seagulls and playing for the reserves.

Piercy, who scored both goals for the reserves in a 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Wednesday, turned down a new contract with Tottenham in the summer.

The former pupil at Park College, Eastbourne, was David Ginola's boot boy at White Hart Lane and made eight League appearances for the north Londoners.

The versatile 23-year-old was a prolific scorer when he was younger for Old Town Boys in Eastbourne, where dad David is chairman.

Piercy was among three changes to the team beaten 2-1 at home by Stoke on Tuesday.

Kerry Mayo, dropped after the 1-0 defeat at Wimbledon on August 24, returned to the starting line-up along with Nathan Jones.

Shaun Wilkinson and Steve Melton were relegated to the bench, while Robbie Pethick began a three-match ban and has also broken a bone in his right foot.

Pethick is among seven players on the sidelines. Bobby Zamora, Michel Kuipers, Paul Kitson, Paul Brooker and Geoff Pitcher are all injured, while loan signing Graham Barrett from Arsenal completed a three-match suspension today.

Rotherham were forced into one change to the team which won 4-3 at Walsall on Tuesday.

A toe injury ruled out midfielder John Mullin, so Nick Daws took over.

Former Albion striker Richie Barker was among the Millers' substitutes. He is being kept out of the team by Darren Byfield and Alan Lee.

They took their tallies to six by scoring two apiece at Walsall, Byfield's old club.

Five of the Albion side were on duty on their last visit to Rotherham, a 3-1 victory in December 1999.

Both were in the Third Division then, a measure of the progress the clubs have made although they started this match at opposite ends of the table.

Rotherham: Mike Pollitt; Rob Scott, Chris Swailes, Martin McIntosh, Paul Hurst, Chris Sedgwick, Darren Garner, Nick Daws, Paul Warne, Alan Lee, Darren Byfield. Subs: Gray, Robins, Barker, Beech, Monkhouse.

Albion: Andy Petterson; Paul Watson, Danny Cullip, Guy Butters, Daniel Marney, Charlie Oatway, Richard Carpenter, Nathan Jones, John Piercy, Gary Hart, Kerry Mayo. Subs: Rogers, Wilkinson, Packham, Melton, Hammond.

Referee: M. Pike (Barrow-in-Furness).