RAFAEL Benitez must be a little nervy about what to expect at Turf Moor tomorrow - and I don't mean the pitch.

The Liverpool manager's first task this week, after swallowing the disappointment of a home defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United, would have been scanning the latest scouting report on FA Cup opponents Burnley.

However, unless his watching brief has a Wordsworth-like ability to conjure words of greatness from nothingness, Benitez is probably still staring forlornly at a blank piece of paper!

Certainly the Reds will have learned precious little from witnessing the worst game since Steve Cotterill took charge last summer.

The Clarets boss admitted before Saturday's game that he was worried a little ring-rustiness might be the result of a staccato month.

Since facing Sunderland four weeks ago, the Clarets had managed to play just twice while Reading, like most other Championship teams, squeezed six games into that same period.

In hindsight, picking up the pace again was always going to be Burnley's biggest problem against a side that lay down their own marker by naming just one striker.

Line up two opposing midfields totalling 10 players and throw in two defences with a mean streak reputation and you hardly have a recipe for entertainment.

And with an FA Cup meeting with Liverpool just around the corner, perhaps it's understandable that Burnley players also had one eye on Tuesday night's clash with the mighty Merseysiders.

"It was probably two teams cancelling each other out," admitted Cotterill. "It was difficult for us and we looked as if we hadn't played for a couple of weeks.

"There were 22 lads out there working their socks off and they came here and paid us respect by playing 4-5-1.

"We just found it hard to get going, which is unlike us. But I'll give the players that one and maybe it was that we were ring rusty after not playing for a few weeks."

Cotterill's biggest problem has been maintaining a daily routine throughout the enforced winter break.

The problems with the Turf Moor pitch are by now well documented - although the re-laid turf proved money well spent by coming through its first 90 minutes with flying colours just 48 hours after being put down.

However, as he revealed, some of the money earned from Robbie Blake's move to Birmingham must also be spent on providing the team with training facilities to enable them to prepare for

big games as any professional outfit should.

"We are realistic on our thoughts for the future here," added Cotterill. "The chances of us spending any of the Blake money on players is nil because, as well as being put towards the budget for next year and maybe the year after, we probably need to spend a little bit of money on our pitch and the ones at Gawthorpe.

"We have to invest in that so the lads can train because, while we haven't played for two weeks, we've also had 11 out of 15 days when we haven't been able to train on grass."

Given such extenuating circumstances, perhaps no-one should be surprised that supporters were left shuffling through the first 0-0 draw at Turf Moor since the shut-out against Crystal Palace in August 2002 - almost two-and-a-half years ago.

However, no Burnley fan would now want to wind the clock back to that turbulent time, when far too many other results flashed up on TV screens using numbers and words to emphasise the 'sixes' and 'sevens' conceded!

It's far easier to digest the fact Cotterill's Clarets have now kept a clean sheet in 14 of their 27 Championship games this season.

And another set of figures more impressive than Caprice's curves show this was the seventh time in nine games Burnley's opponents have failed to find the target.

So if Benitez is scanning his scouting reports for any sign of weakness ahead of tomorrow's cup clash, he won't find it there!

Like 16 others before them, Reading ran into a brick wall built with solid foundations and tougher than Nori!

John McGreal and Gary Cahill were again faultless to the extent that goalkeeper Brian Jensen's main worry of the day was catching crosses.

The Dane was beaten by a second half free kick from Bobby Convey that dipped onto the crossbar and out to safety. But that was the closest we came to excitement all afternoon unless you count the contribution of hapless Reading defender Ibrahima Sonko, who drew ironic cheers throughout for his uncanny knack of finding the top tier of the stand at every opportunity.

The best chance of a listless opening 45 minutes fell to Graham Branch in stoppage time, following a sweet left foot cross form Frank Sinclair.

Tony Grant's flick header landed perfectly for Branch, who leaned back and sent his angled effort from six-yards into Sonko territory.

That was the last action Branch saw after picking up an ankle knock that makes him a serious doubt to face Liverpool along with Michael Duff, who lasted only 33 minutes before his troublesome calf injury resurfaced.

The second half brought little improvement, despite James O'Connor's tireless work in midfield alongside Richard Chaplow, who began to feel the effects after making his first start in nearly three months.

McGreal and then Cahill both cleared the danger beneath their own crossbar as Glen Little briefly threatened.

And at the other end, Burnley's best chance fell to lone striker Ian Moore, who delayed just long enough from O'Connor's threaded pass to allow Sonko to intercept his weak shot.

There was almost a sting in the tail as Jean-Louis Valois came close to celebrating signing a new contract with a 30-yard curler that grazed the post.

But by that stage all hope of a goal, like the Liverpool scout, had long gone.

READING: Hahnemann, Murty, Ingimarsson, Sonko, Shorey, Convey, Hughes, Sidwell, Harper, Little, Forster.

Subs not used: Owusu, Brooker, Savage, Newman, Young.

REF: M Jones. 7

BOOKING: Sidwell 50

ATT; 11,392