Watford 0 Reading 0:Watford stumbled to their fifth goalless draw in the Barclays Premiership this season to leave their prospects of survival looking even bleaker.

Hameur Bouazza missed the home side's best chance of the match, lobbing over when clean through inside the penalty area, but Reading will point to four good chances squandered by forward Leroy Lita.

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann was in good form for the visitors, but he was rarely stretched and Boothroyd desperately needs to sign at least one striker when the transfer window re-opens next month.

For Watford, Al Bangura made his first league start of the season in place of suspended skipper Gavin Mahon, while Lita and Andre Bikey came in for injured Reading duo Seol Ki-Hyeon and Graeme Murty.

Watford began the day bottom of the table, with Reading — also promoted last season — in sixth, but there was little to choose between the teams during the opening stages.

The first clear chance of the game came in the 17th minute when Stephen Hunt's touch sent Lita clear, and the pacy forward should have done better than drag his angled effort well wide of the right post.

In the 27th minute, Lita rushed his shot 10 yards from goal when the ball broke to him after Kevin Doyle — who began the day as the Premiership's top scorer — and Dan Shittu had contested possession, and the effort screwed well wide of the right post.

Four minutes later, the England Under-21 international was off target again.

Collecting Doyle's headed pass, Lita burst into the Watford penalty area and made room to shoot, only to see his low effort beat Richard Lee's dive but curl just wide of the goalkeeper's left post.

Despite his uncharacteristic inaccuracy from set-pieces, Ashley Young remained Watford's most inventive forward, and he stung the palms of Marcus Hahnemann from 30 yards after cutting in from the right.

Three minutes before the break, Darius Henderson missed the chance to score his first goal of the season by firing tamely into the arms of Hahnemann from 15 yards.

Watford had struggled to open up the Reading back-line in the first half, but they came close to taking the lead within a minute of the re-start.

Bangura played the ball to Young, who turned Nicky Shorey and lifted over a cross which Henderson won in the air but headed narrowly over the crossbar.

But it was Bouazza who wasted the Hornets' clearest chance of the game in the 54th minute.

Bouazza — clear inside the penalty area — lobbed the ball over the onrushing Hahnemann, but also over the bar, after Ibrahima Sonko's poor control had let in the French winger.

Boothroyd's team were almost made to pay for the error three minutes later, Lita hitting the ball over from eight yards after Hunt's cross had rebounded into his path off the chest of Shittu.

Hahnemann kept his team level in the 67th minute, pushing Bangura's swerving volley from 25 yards around the post after Hunt's poor clearance had fallen into the path of the hard-working midfielder.

At the other end, Watford's hearts were in their mouths when Lee failed to claim Hunt's curling free-kick from the left, before Tommy Smith scrambled the loose ball out for a corner.

Watford's main chance of breaking the deadlock appeared to be through Bouazza on the left.

In the 73rd minute, he guided another dangerous ball across the box, but Hahnemann was alert and claimed it low to his right.

Four minutes later, Young's back-heel let in Henderson, but the striker tried to pass to Damien Francis when he should have shot, and the chance was lost.

For Reading, Shorey failed to shoot in the 83rd minute after a one-two with substitute Shane Long, and the impressive Steve Sidwell sent a powerful header just wide of the left post from 16 yards.