Playoff hopefuls Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest drew a blank in the Championship this afternoon following a scrappy 90 minutes at The AMEX.

Gus Poyet's side could have broken the deadlock in the eighth minute through Inigo Calderon, whose shot was kept out by visiting keeper Lee Camp.

Camp was the busier of the two shot-stopper in the early stages, and he was called into action again in the 17th minute to keep out an effort from Billy Sharp.

Forest enjoyed plenty of possession for the remainder of the opening period, but failed to create much of any note up front.

Brighton looked the more convincing in the final third. Craig Mackail-Smith was a constant threat, giving his marker the slip and testing Camp just after the half-hour mark and firing wide after a good run on 44 minutes.

Forest could have gone into the break a goal to the good. Chris Cohen swung a cross into the danger area to Sharp, whose stoppage time-effort came back off the bar.

Sean O'Driscoll's men almost snatched a lead early in the second period when Greg Halford's cross was stabbed wide by Dexter Blackstock moments after the restart.

It was a scrappy second half where play was addled by the pouring rain, but Brighton almost created something right at the death.

Will Buckley pounced on a loose ball in the 86th minute following an error by Halford, but Camp produced an excellent save to salvage a point for Forest.