Glenn Murray almost helped Nottingham Forest claim all three points against his former club Bournemouth as the two sides fought out a 0-0 draw at the City Ground.

The veteran striker came as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock when he was denied late in the second half as his header was cleared off the line.

It helped Chris Hughton's side extend their recent improved form as they look to climb away from the wrong end of the Championship table, while Bournemouth interim manager Jonathan Woodgate made it three games unbeaten during his reign.

Goalkeeper Brice Samba did well to claim an early, driven cross-shot from Junior Stanislas, as Bournemouth started brightly.

The visitors were forced into a change after only five minutes, with skipper Steve Cook suffering what looked like a groin problem and having to be replaced by Lloyd Kelly off the bench.

A clever free-kick routine ended with Forest's Filip Krovinovic driving in a shot that Asmir Begovic got his body behind to save well.

Stanislas came close again for the visitors when a short-corner routine ended with him flashing a shot only a foot wide of the angle of post and bar.

Anthony Knockaert's shot, hit on the turn, was initially spilt by Begovic, but he recovered before Murray could pounce.

Shane Long sent a header looping narrowly over Samba's bar, following another swift Bournemouth attack.

Long was then close to connecting with a diving header as Bournemouth continued to chip away in search of the opening goal.

Forest were not without attacking threat of their own and some patient play ended with James Garner firing narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

Krovinovic got plenty of power into a driven shot, but his direction was wayward.

The second half began as a cagey affair. Joe Worrall glanced a header wide from a Knockaert free-kick but both sides were finding chances harder to come by.

A fine cross-field ball from Worrall gave Knockaert the chance to cut in from the right side, but his shot cleared the bar by a comfortable distance.

A Krovinovic corner was almost the catalyst for a goal but Murray's header was somehow cleared away in the goalmouth, as Bournemouth held firm.

Forest were enjoying a spell of pressure but were struggling to turn that into a goal.

It was a tense, tactical battle with both sides seemingly unwilling to take too many risks and gamble on ending the game with nothing.

Forest had another chance to deliver from a set-piece, but Knockaert sent his free-kick too close to Begovic, who made an easy claim.