Aston Villa and Fulham fans were given an opening-day reality check as Craven Cottage's Barclays Premier League season kicked off with a dour goalless draw.
Both sides lacked the quality to make the breakthrough, with the hosts guilty of squandering good chances through John Arne Riise, Bobby Zamora and Andrew Johnson.
That was partly down to an impressive debut for new Villa goalkeeper Shay Given who, along with fellow new boy Charles N'Zogbia, was one of few positives in new manager Alex McLeish's first competitive game in charge.
Source: PA
