Watford 0 Reading 0

Watford and Reading may have been the two highest scoring teams in the Championship last season, but their two encounters failed to produce a goal and an extension of that sequence rarely looked like being ended at a chilly Vicarage Road.

While the high-flying Royals will have been the happier at the end of a dour encounter, the misery goes on for their opponents who cannot buy a goal, let alone a win, at the moment.

Since they broke their top-flight duck against Middlesbrough, Watford have registered just once in five outings and there are no prizes for guessing which area of the team manager Aidy Boothroyd wants to strengthen when the transfer window reopens.

The only consolation for the Hornets is that they now have six Premiership clean sheets to their name.

Fresh from their encouraging display at Manchester City, Watford had the better of the opening 30 minutes but they had little to show for their supremacy.

While there was some eye-catching build-up play, the only opportunity of note they created was when a Darius Henderson flick-on left Ashley Young one-on-one with Ibrahima Sonko, but the England Under-21 international was unable to keep his shot down from the right side of the penalty area.

Reading's only chance in the opening half-hour came from a Leroy Lita shot that went wide, but as the visitors came more into the game the number of chances for both sides began to increase.

Lita was narrowly off-target with a curled right-footed attempt before Young warmed Marcus Hahnemann's chilly palms with a stinging drive from 25 yards.

But the best opening of the first-half came shortly before the break when some battling play from Tommy Smith and Young set up a clear sight of goal for Henderson, but his tame side-footed effort went straight at Hahnemann.

Watford upped the ante after the break with Henderson sending a looping header before they spurned a good opening when Young's flick-on put Hameur Bouazza through on goal via the knee of Sonko, but the young Frenchman lifted the ball over the target from the edge of the area after choosing to strike early.

Reading though, had looked a better attacking than defensive side and Lita had his third, and final, opportunity of the game soon after when he clipped the ball over from close range after it bounced up invitingly off Dan Shittu following Stephen Hunt's cross.

But the momentum remained with the home side and Young rose to glance a Bouazza cross wide before the impressive Al Bangura, who was making his first Premiership start in the absence of suspended captain Gavin Mahon, forced Hahnemann to move smartly to his left to keep out a swerving strike from 20 yards.

Both sides did attempt to win the game in the closing stages. but a goalless stalemate was looking predictable several minutes before the referee's whistle confirmed it.

Substitute Shane Long did finally produce Reading's first on-target attempt with ten minutes remaining, but the lack of power behind it was replicated when Henderson tried to beat Hahnemann from outside the area moments later, but that was as good as it got.

Golden Boys Man of the Match: Al Bangura, made an impressive Premiership debut and came as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock with a rasping second half shot.