RON ATKINSON returned to Villa Park and kept his unbeaten Coventry record.

No mean feat on a ground where the Sky Blues have not won In 21 attempts over 59 years.

But a goalless game failed dismally to live up to it's billing and only a point apiece left both sides still looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack of Premiership relegation.

It was a better result for Atkinson, however, than Brian Little, the man who replaced him at Villa in November when the team was languishing just three places off the bottom of the table.

Little has lifted them to 11th with six league wins, but they have now taken just two points from the last four games and seldom looked likely to find the way to victory again, despite penning Coventry back with some frantic pressure in the second half.

Coventry reserve keeper Jon Gould stopped Dwight Yorke's firm drive and saw Ugo Ehiohu's header from a corner go just too high at the height of that pressure, but was otherwise rarely troubled to register his second successive clean sheet as stand-in for injured Steve Ogrizovic.

Atkinson, who has lifted Coventry from 17th to 12th in the Premiership with two wins and two draws, might have thought he had a winner to give the perfect reply to Doug Ellis, the chairman who sacked him five months ago, when Peter Ndlovu's goalbound shot on the hour was blocked by the excellent Paul McGrath.

He had to make do instead with the rousing welcome he received from fans of both sides in the 26,000 crowd as he stepped out for the start amid a battery of press photographers.

Coventry defended with gritty resolution to stem the tide in the second half, with David Rennie and former Villa captain Kevin Richardson the pick of their performers.