Despite Leicester's march into the quarter finals of the FA Cup, the league form of the two sides provided a warning that this match was never likely to be a classic.
Reading came into the game without a win in 2005, a woeful run that stretched exactly two months and has provided only four goals.
And Leicester were on the back of three Championship games without a win, their shock FA Cup win at Charlton their only win in February.
So it was hardly a surprise that the first half was a turgid affair, with both sides limited to speculative shots and neither keeper being forced to make a serious save.
In fact, the closest either side came to a goal in the opening half was seconds before the half time whistle when Leicester midfielder Joey Gudjonsson robbed Steve Sidwell and teed Mark De Vries up for a shot which fizzed just wide of the Reading goal.
Reading looked brighter in the opening minutes of the second half and thought they had broken the deadlock on 52 minutes.
Captain Graeme Murty sent Andy Hughes clear down the right and his low cross was turned home by Kitson, only for an offside flag to deny the striker his 14th goal of the season.
Kitson, who only returned from a two-month injury lay-off a week earlier, should have made amends for his misfortune 10 minutes from time but shot tamely at Ian Walker after Marcus Hahnemann's long punt forward had been flicked back by a Leicester defender.
Reading had other chances to snatch victory, Hughes blazing over after Kitson had robbed Dion Dublin and caused a minor scramble in the Leicester box.
But in truth, a goal would have flattered a woeful game in which neither side did enough to warrant all three points.