Reading's hopes of automatic promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship suffered another setback with a goalless draw at Coventry.

With leaders Wolves and second-placed Birmingham set to clash at St Andrews on Monday evening, the Royals had the chance to move to within one point of Alex McLeish's side.

It was never going to be an easy assignment against a team that had beaten the top two at the Ricoh Arena this season in a run that had seen Coventry win seven of their previous 10 home games in all competitions.

But Reading, now with just four wins from their last 16 league games, never hit their stride and could consider themselves fortunate not to be returning to Berkshire on the back of a defeat after Coventry dominated and created the better chances.

Sky Blues boss Chris Coleman opted for an attacking line-up with three strikers and all of them had a sight of goal within the opening quarter of an hour.

Leon Best shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area and top scorer Clinton Morrison did likewise from 12 yards before Freddy Eastwood had a goalbound effort blocked.

Shane Long tried his luck from long range as Reading threatened for the first time after 20 minutes but City goalkeeper Keiren Westwood was not troubled.

Coventry continued to probe and captain Scott Dann should have done better than direct his header straight at Marcus Hahnemann when he got on the end of Dan Fox's free-kick midway through the half.

The Sky Blues wasted an even better chance just after the half-hour mark when Reading failed to clear a corner.

The ball broke to Guillaume Beuzelin 12 yards out in the centre of the area but the unmarked Frenchman sent his shot wide.

Coventry were forced to make a change at half-time with Robbie Simpson replacing the injured Best, but it looked like they would resume where they had left off in the first half when Aron Gunnarsson threatened immediately after the restart.

But their momentum was disrupted by a testy passage of play that saw five players booked in the opening nine minutes of the second half.

City trio Stephen Wright, Fox and Morrison had their names taken by referee Trevor Kettle, while James Harper and Andre Bikey were the Reading players cautioned.

They followed Ben Turner into Kettle's notebook after the Coventry defender received a yellow card just before the break.

Morrison tested Hahnemann with a 20-yard shot just after the hour mark before Jay Tabb, making his first return to the Ricoh Arena since leaving Coventry in January, became the seventh player to be booked after fouling Wright.

The diminutive midfielder then almost broke the heart of his former club with a 30-yard shot that whistled narrowly past the top corner after 77 minutes.

At the other end, Beuzelin spurned another glorious chance by again shooting wide from inside the box after Morrison had set him up.

Substitute Simpson could have earned all three points for Coventry deep into injury-time but his header from Fox's corner went past the far post.

Teams:

Coventry Westwood, Wright, Dann, Turner, Fox, Henderson (Osbourne 60), Beuzelin, Gunnarsson, Eastwood (Hall 85), Best (Simpson 46), Morrison.

Subs Not Used: Marshall, Ward.

Booked: Turner, Wright, Fox, Morrison.

Reading Hahnemann, Kelly, Bikey, Duberry, Armstrong, Little (Matejovsky 68), Cisse, Harper (Stephen Hunt 68), Tabb (Noel Hunt 82), Kitson, Long.

Subs Not Used: Federici, Pearce.

Booked: Harper, Bikey, Tabb.

Att: 17,218

Ref: Trevor Kettle (Rutland).