Football: Leicester unable to lift game; From NEVILLE FOULGER at The Madejski Stadium.

Byline: READING 0 LEICESTER 0

LEICESTER manager Craig Levein admitted 'I am glad I did not have to pay to get in' after this dreary draw left the Foxes nearer relegation than the play-offs.

Levein was in no mood to hide his disappointment but insisted that his side will bounce back from one of their worst performances since he took over three months ago.

Promotion-chasing Reading were little better and the result means they have gone ten league games without a win.

Neither goalkeeper had much to do in a scrappy match of few chances although Ian Walker spared Leicester the agony of defeat with a brave block from Dave Kitson ten minutes from timeThe Foxes, who had created an astonishing 18 chances at Stoke in midweek, managed only one shot on target - and that was a sliced centre by Jordan Stewart. Levein said: 'There is no point disguising it - it was pretty poor. 'If you had said that we would keep a clean sheet the way we have been playing recently I though we would have won the match.

'Wedefendedwellbut this time going forward we were not so good. The ball was in the air so much that my neck was sore from watching it.

'We have been playing reasonably well in the last few weeks without getting the results on board that we deserved.

We have still got games in hand but they are not the same as points on the board. But if wecan get back to the way we have been playing then we should not have any trouble.

'To be fair it has been a hard week for the players. Weworked hard at Charlton in the FA Cup tie last Saturday and again at Stoke in midweek'The players are now going to get a few days off and hopefully recharge their batteries for the home game against Nottingham Forest this coming Saturday.'

Levein switched back to his favoured 4-4-2 formation even though the 4-5-1 line-up had served his so well at Charlton.

But strikers Mark de Vries and David Connolly had few opportunities to break the deadlock although Dutchman de Vries put one shot just wide after a fine run just before half time.

That was as near as City came to a goal and Levein said: 'I'd switched to having two strikers again because we wanted to try to win the match even though you probably would not have guessed it.

'Mark will be the first to admit this was not one of his best performances for us but it will help him enormously in his quest tobecome 100 per cent fit again.' One bonus for Leicester was another impressive display by teenager Richard Stearman, pressed into action at right-back in place of the injured Alan Maybury.

The 17-year-old came through the 90 minutes with the only blot on his copybook a yellow card for a rash challenge midway through the second half.

Generally the Foxes defended solidly with Reading limited to few opportunities in and around the penalty area.

In the first half their only real effort of note was a free kick by Steve Sidwell that took a deflection and flew straight into the arms of Walker.

Six minutes into the second half Reading fans thought the Royals had broken the deadlock when Dave Kitson turned the ball home from close range after a sweeping move and a low cross by Andy Hughes.

But the flag had gone up for an off-side decision and Reading boss Steve Coppell said: 'I think Dave was a bit too anxious and went too early and I have no complaints. I think it was offside, we are desperate for a victory at the moment and the players have lost their confidence and are not wanting to take risks in case of making a mistake.'

In the 79th minute a long clearance was deflected off the head of Reading substitute Stephen Hughes straight to Kitson but Walker dashed off his line to make an important save. The Foxes, who snatched a dramatic FA Cup win on this ground with a last-minute goal a month ago, might have done it again when de Vries broke clear only to have his shot blocked. But awinwouldhave been more than they deservedSTAR MAN: Richard Stearman