Hull City and Portsmouth settled for a point apiece from a dismal Barclays Premier League basement scrap.
Chances were few and far between the two lowly sides as they struggled for inspiration at the KC Stadium.
The best opportunity fell to bottom side Pompey just after the hour as Aruna Dindane and Hassan Yebda were denied by Boaz Myhill.
With both sides struggling in the bottom three, the match was always likely to be tense even if Pompey, having scored just five times this season, might have been confident against the competition's leakiest defence.
The visitors almost almost caught Hull City inside the first minute once the match got under way.
shooting opportunity
Tommy Smith outpaced Kamil Zayatte to reach a Dindane flick-on but the former Watford forward dragged his shot across goal.
Geovanni curled a free-kick over as the Tigers responded while a later set-piece from Stephen Hunt wide on the right wrong-footed everyone in the box except goalkeeper David James.
Brazilian playmaker Geovanni, starting in an advanced role, looked Hull's most threatening player and created a shooting opportunity for Dean Marney by cutting inside Steve Finnan but the midfielder fired narrowly over.
Aaron Mokoena tried his luck for Pompey from outside the area but missed the target by a long way.
The recalled Seyi Olofinjana then almost gifted Smith a chance with a poor touch but Andy Dawson got back into the box to spare his blushes.
In one of few enterprising pieces of play, Olofinjana clipped a clever ball into the Pompey area but it was just out of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's reach.
Smith turned to shoot from a Dindane ball at the other end but Paul McShane blocked.
Marney had another chance before the break but his shot was deflected for a corner.
Marney had the first chance of the second half too when a corner found its way to him 20 yards out but again he blazed off target.
best chance
Hunt then lofted in a free-kick looking for Anthony Gardner - whose return after two months out was one positive for Hull - but England goalkeeper James rose to claim.
Hull appealed for a penalty when Geovanni was picked out by Olofinjana and went down under a challenge from James but referee Stuart Attwell waved play on.
The best chance of the match fell to Dindane just after the hour as a Jamie O'Hara free-kick bounced kindly in front of goal. The Ivorian hit a crisp shot but Myhill saved.
The ball rebounded back to Dindane but this time his own team-mate, Younes Kaboul, got in the way of his follow-up effort.
Portsmouth kept up the pressure as Yebda slid in to reach Kevin-Prince Boateng's cross but Myhill clawed the ball away.
Myhill presented Pompey with a late opportunity after losing the ball and then tripping Boateng outside the area but O'Hara put his free-kick over.
