GOAL-SHY Reading FC made it seven Championship matches without a win after a second bore draw in a week.

Royals have now failed to score in their last three fixtures in all competitions and rarely threatened to do so against a Tigers side with the worst defensive record in the division.

Jaap Stam's men have gone 292 minutes since finding the net when Yann Kermorgant struck in a 1-1 draw at Barnsley on December 30.

In fact, they have scored a mere two goals in this seven-match barren streak as the pressure mounts on Stam.

While a point and clean sheet away from home could have been a lot worse, it may have come at a cost as Paul McShane and John Swift both limped off with injuries before the break.

And while the stalemate saw Reading increase the gap over the bottom three to five points, they are still desperately in need of a victory to lift team morale and climb away from danger.

Stam made wholesale changes from the side that laboured to a 0-0 draw at League Two Stevenage in the FA Cup.

Centre-back Liam Moore - who is being linked with several Premier League clubs - recovered from a minor knock, while Vito Mannone returned between the sticks and Chris Gunter, Kermorgant and Swift were also recalled.

Garath McCleary kept his place in the team, as did teenage full-back Omar Richards in his fourth Royals appearance.

But a few eyebrows were raised when Stam dropped Leandro Bacuna to the bench given his input in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, former Reading boss Nigel Adkins made six changes to the Hull side that beat Blackburn in the FA Cup as Allan McGregor, Jackson Irvine, Davis Meyler, Seb Larsson, Michael Dawson and Nouha Dicko all returned to the starting line-up.

And there was another familiar face in the Tigers team as former Reading defender Michael Hector started alongside ex-Tottenham captain Dawson.

Stam's men threatened first when Mo Barrow won a free-kick nine miniutes in and Swift's shot was tipped around the corner by the alert McGregor.

Hull's first sight at goal also came from a set-piece in the 16th minute after Joey van Den Berg had brought down on-loan Chelsea youngster Ola Aina 25 yards out.

But Larsson's effort deflected of the wall and spun wide of the post with Mannone well beaten.

Tigers went close again four minutes later when Dicko blazed over from 12 yards out from a Fikayo Tomori cross.

Reading Chronicle:

Liam Moore sees an excellent chance go begging against Tigers.

Stam, though, was forced to make his first change in the 26th minute when Swift limped off with yet another suspected hamstring injury to be replaced by Sone Aluko, who was facing his old club.

The visitors were forced to dig deep and two minutes later Moore cleared Tomori's header off his own line after Aina had ghosted past McCleary before delivering the cross.

But injury struck Royals again on the half-hour mark when McShane joined Swift in the treatment room.

The ex-Tigers defender walked off to a rousing ovation from the home fans, with Tiago Ilori taking his place.

However, Reading were thanking their lucky stars five minutes before the break when Hull had a goal ruled out by referee Darren England, much to Adkins' frustration.

Mannone made a fine save to deny Jarrod Bowen and was deemed to have the ball under control when Jon Toral slid in on the follow-up and lashed it home.

The hosts burst out of the traps for the second half, Toral controlling Tomori's centre with skill only to miss his kick from close range less than two minutes after the restart.

Reading Chronicle:

Reading keeper Vito Mannone makes a vital save.

Then former Tigers stopped Mannone added to their frustrations as the hour approached by racing off his line to block Bowen's effort from Dicko's assist.

McGregor also kept his side in it with an incredible double save in the 63rd minute.

Hector conceded a corner which Aluko delivered to the unmarked Moore at the back post.

Moore's downward header rebounded off McGregor, hit the Royals centre-back and was instinctively pushed over by the Hull keeper.

Reading's tails were up, and one minute later Kermorgant's header missed the target from McCleary's flag-kick.

Adkins went for broke and made all three substitutions within a six-minute spell.

But Tigers could not take advantage of a free-kick on the edge of the Reading box, Larsson curling one narrowly wide of Mannone's left-hand post.

Adkins' men threw everything they had at the Royals in the closing stages.

But the visitors almost snatched an injury-time winner when Kermorgant collected Barrow's pass and went for the bottom corner, only for Dawson to fling his body in the way and deflect the ball behind.

Royals host Stevenage on Tuesday in an FA Cup third-round replay at the Madejski Stadium (8pm).

Hull: McGregor, Tomori, Dawson, Hector, Aina, Meyler (Henriksen 71), Larsson, Toral, Irvine (Evandro 65), Bowen. Dicko (Campbell 65). Subs not used: Marshall, Diomande, Clark, Stewart. Booked: Larsson 89.

Reading: Mannone, Gunter, Richards, McShane (Ilori 30), Moore, Van den Berg, Evans, Swift (Aluko 26), McCleary (Bacuna 77), Barrow, Kermorgant. Subs not used: Jaakkola, Bodvarsson, Blackett, Kelly.

Referee: Darren England.

Attendance: 14,300.