Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce was certainly not impressed with the goalless draw at the JJB on Saturday.

Granted the game was no classic, but it certainly wasn't the worst 0-0 draw in history, and the implications of the result meant a boost for both sides survival hopes.

Bruce, though, put the lack of imagination from both sides down to the tension of the fixture.

With both fighting for their lives, Reading more so than Wigan, neither side could afford a gung-ho attitude through fear of leaving gaps.

The point, though, may well be enough to see Wigan seal their fourth consecutive year in the Premier League, while for Reading, it is a point that could prove crucial in the next couple of weeks.

“I thought we started off well, but then the game petered into (one between) two nervous, anxious teams who are typically fighting for their lives,” said Bruce.

“Both sets of players, (with) the occasion and the magnitude of the game, they forgot to play football.

“It was nervous and tense, but who knows, it might be the point that takes us over the line.

“If Benty’s (Marcus Bent) header had gone in after 10 or 15 minutes, it might’ve been different, but I think a draw was the fair result.”