Entertainment took a back seat to the practicality of two struggling sides edging further away from the drop zone, with neither side managing a shot on target in the final 85 minutes of the match.

Jewell admitted: "The only good thing is that we are a point nearer safety. If we play eight more awful games like that and get eight more points, we will be okay.

"You think back to the games against Chelsea and Arsenal when we played so well and got nothing. Today we played nowhere near as well as that, but we got a point."

But there was bad news for striker Caleb Folan, whose recent run of good fortune came to a sad end when he was carried off after a first half collision with Carlos Bocanegra.

Folan's fine form had earned him his first Republic of Ireland call-up for the forthcoming double-header against Wales and Slovakia - but Jewell believes that chance has passed him by.

Folan headed for hospital for X-rays on his injured ankle which is believed bruised rather than broken, but Jewell admitted: "I wouldn't have thought he had any chance of going with Ireland.

"It just shows you the highs and lows of this game. Two weeks ago he scored the winner against Manchester City and got picked for Ireland, and then this happens to him."

Fulham boss Chris Coleman admitted the threat of being sucked into the relegation dogfight had adversely affected both sides but like Jewell he pronounced himself happy with a point.

Coleman said: "It wasn't a great game but when two teams are in the positions we are and it is the twitchy time of the season, the rewards for staying in this league are massive.

"We had a bit of gap between ourselves and the bottom three and while we are not quite home yet we are within touching distance.

"Everyone gets very nervous at the business end of the season and we will be nervous until we get that next win which I think will really secure it for us.

"We came away from home in not great conditions and players will make mistakes if they are not mentally tough.

"Offensively we were poor but it was our first clean sheet since Christmas so we have got to be happy with that."