Snapshot

Cardiff and Reading played out a hard-earned 0-0 draw at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Chances were few at either end, though Stephen McPhail's volley directly at Adam Federici was perhaps the best opportunity of the first half for the Bluebirds.

Reading had the better of possession in the opening period but Cardiff probably looked more threatening in front of goal. Kelvin Etuhu struck a sweet strike just before the interval, though Federici was on hand to make a superb save low to his left.

The second half continued as the first had ended, neither side taking a stranglehold on a game that was there to be won. Jay Bothroyd had City's best effort with twenty minutes remaining but Federici stopped the striker again with a a diving save to his right.

Chronological Report

The Bluebirds kicked off from left to right attacking the Grange End and immediately looked to the lively Kelvin Etuhu on the right wing to get at the visitors' defence. But it was on the left flank that Peter Whittingham won City an early corner an Etuhu tested Adam Federici with an in swinging kick that the 'keeper did well to punch away.

Cardiff were awarded a free-kick on six minutes after Jay Bothroyd had been felled midway inside the Reading half. Whittingham struck an ambitious but scuffed effort, though from the rebound, Stephen McPhail hit a sweet volley that would have beaten Federici had it not been straight at him.

Reading came into the game more after a nervy opening and looked most threatening down the right channel through Malian Jimmy Kebe. The winger thought he had played in Jay Tabb after a fantastic run and cut inside, but the referee's assistant deemed the ball to have earlier gone out of play and thus handed Cardiff a reprieve.

City's best chance of the first half came as the result of a good break. Etuhu picked up the ball in the right full back position before finding Michael Chopra in centre field. A superb first touch by the striker set Bothroyd free down the right, his cross finding Whittingham who was out-muscled at the crucial moment in front of goal.

Chances were very few for either side in the first-half, though Reading arguably had the better of the possession. Captain Brian Howard looked dangerous in the centre of the park for the Royals, but loan striker Shane Long was getting little service in attack.

Etuhu almost broke the deadlock on forty minutes. The winger won the ball and cut inside, midway inside the Reading half. He then strode forward, outpacing his marker, before striking low to Federici's right; fortunately for the visitors, the Australian stopper was alert enough to save superbly.

HALF TIME: CARDIFF CITY 0-0 READING

Substitution Cardiff City: Ross McCormack on for Michael Chopra (45 mins).

Reading had the first chance of the second period when Howard found space and time on the edge of the area to strike at goal. But Marshall only had to watch it rise over the cross bar, the 'keeper yet having had any significant action in a game that wasn't threatening to blossom at this stage.

Reading wonder-kid Gylfi Sigurdsson almost opened the scoring with a well-struck free-kick from twenty-five yards out on the hour mark, but following a superb Marshall save, City countered. Ross McCormack broke down the left hand side before playing a superb ball in field towards Bothroyd with the outside of his foot. Bothroyd strode forward towards Federici, but after striking a sweet half-volley, the 'keeper pulled off a top class save of his own to keep the scores level.

Substitution Reading: Simon Church on for Shane Long (64 mins).

With his first touch of the game, substitute Simon Church almost gave Reading the lead. An in-swinging corner from the far left in front of the travelling fans found the striker free inside the box - his header beating Marshall but striking the angle of post and bar before bouncing clear.

Substitution Cardiff City: Aaron Wildig on for Joe Ledley (70 mins).

Substitution Cardiff City: Chris Burke on for Kelvin Etuhu (70 mins).

Chris Burke's introduction with twenty minutes left to play seemed to lift the home crowd, but as the game wore on, the likelihood of it ending as a stalemate looked increasingly more likely. City were looking for long balls towards Bothroyd for their inspiration, but Reading's defensive pairing of Zurab Khizanishvili and Alex Pearce rarely looked troubled.

Substitution Reading: Grzegorz Rasiak on for Jay Tabb (78 mins).

Both sides, somewhat tentatively, looked to win the game in the closing ten minutes. City had the best of the early part of that, Bothroyd twice being denied inside the area and McPhail lofting a shot high and over. But as the ninety minute mark approached it was the visitors who began to ask the questions, twice forcing corners from the left hand side which Marshall had to be alert to so as to punch clear.

This was not a classic game at Cardiff City Stadium. But the Bluebirds were another point closer to securing that elusive play-off spot.

FULL TIME: CARDIFF CITY 0-0 READING