Glen Johnson made his debut as a second-half substitute as Liverpool's preparations for 09-10 got off to a low key start with a goalless draw against St Gallen in Switzerland.
The Reds were more than matched throughout their first pre-season encounter with the Swiss minnows as boss Rafael Benitez used the game to give each member of his 24 man squad a much-needed run-out.
In a contest boasting little by way of goalmouth action, it was the visitors who made the first opening of note when Ryan Babel and Krisztian Nemeth combined down the left, but the Hungarian's stabbed shot from just outside the six yard box was well blocked by Reto Bolli in the St Gallen goal.
The hosts were in buoyant mood following an opening day win over Basle in the Swiss Super league on Sunday and they responded on 14 minutes when Philipp Degen was forced into a desperate clearance after Ze Vitor had cut the ball back from a dangerous position on the right-hand by-line.
Three minutes later and it was a case of déjà vu, but this time Mario Caceras was left hanging his head in dismay after he somehow contrived to hit the post from close range following another neat move down the right.
The Reds were showing some neat approach play in attack but it was the home side who once again came closest to opening the scoring when Jamie Carragher was forced to hook clear from underneath his own crossbar after Ze Vitor had headed Fernando's searching free-kick back across the six yard box.
Ahead of the match Benitez had made clear his intentions to field a different XI in the second period and the inevitable changes brought with it the introduction of new boy Glen Johnson.
The former Portsmouth man showed glimpses of his quality playing in an unfamiliar left-back position and he almost opened the scoring five minutes after the restart when he latched on to David Ngog's flick and drilled a shot just wide.
Dani Pacheco and Yossi Benayoun then combined to create an opening that saw the Israel international cut inside and force a fine save out of Bolli.
It was the same duo who carved out the Reds' next chance on 73 minutes when Pacheco forced a corner with a low shot from the edge of the area, while Ngog should have done better when he guided the resulting corner over the crossbar.
With time running out Benitez opted to give a run-out to both Daniel Ayala and goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi - with the last two members of the squad of 24 replacing substitutes Martin Kelly and David Martin - as the Reds were made to settle for a goalless draw.
Teams
St Gallen: Bolli, de Souza, Koubsky, Schenkel, Zellweger (c), Frei, Nushi, Vitor, Costanzo, Caceras, Merenda. Subs - Abegglen, Ciccone, Frick, Frrokaj, Graf, Hammerli, Jagne, Lang, Lopar, Martic, Oehri
Liverpool: Cavalieri, Insua, Carragher, San Jose Dominguez, Degen, Babel, Gerrard (c), Spearing, El Zhar, Nemeth, Voronin. Subs - Benayoun, Darby, Johnson, Kelly, Kuyt, Leiva, Ngog, Pacheco, Plessis, Sanchez Ayala, Skrtel
Referee: Unavailable
Conditions: Unavailable
Attendance: Unavailable
Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Unavailable.
Breakdown
18:00 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : St Gallen kicked off...here we go again...another 10 months of footy!
3 mins : Gerrard tries one from 40 yards...a real pinger but just wide
4 mins : Babel's won a free-kick on the edge of the box
5 mins : Babel taps the dead ball to Stevie, whose deflected shot is saved by Bolli
6 mins : Babel threads Nemeth through...he's one on one but the angle's tight...'keeper saves with his legs
10 mins : Nice flick from Voronin almost puts Babel through
12 mins : Spearing finds Voronin with a great sprayed ball
14 mins : Last-ditch clearance needed from Degen, who is getting booed because of his connection with FC Basle, after Insua beaten down the left
18 mins : Scratch that - it was San Jose who was beaten down the left
19 mins : My word...Mario Caceres has just missed an absolute, dead cert, cannot possibly miss in a million years chance
21 mins : Nemeth picked up a knock...he's talking to physio Rob Price
33 mins : Nemeth is okay now...though the game has gone a bit flat
34 mins : Fantastic goalline clearance from Carra
35 mins : Lovely ball from Voronin but Nemeth can't capitalise
39 mins : Costanzo just scored...but it was miles offside
44 mins : No.7 El Zhar crosses for Babel but his shot is disappointing
18:45 GMT : Half Time Reached
19:02 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Substitution: Glen Johnson for Emiliano Insua:
46 mins : Substitution: Stephen Darby for Philipp Degen:
46 mins : Substitution: Martin Kelly for Jamie Carragher:
46 mins : Substitution: Martin Skrtel for Mikel San Jose Dominguez:
46 mins : Substitution: Damien Plessis for Jay Spearing:
46 mins : Substitution: Lucas Leiva for Steven Gerrard:
46 mins : Substitution: Dirk Kuyt for Ryan Babel:
46 mins : Substitution: Yossi Benayoun for Nabil El Zhar:
46 mins : Substitution: David Ngog for Andriy Voronin:
46 mins : Substitution: Daniel Pacheco for Krisztian Nemeth:
46 mins : Substitution: Yves Oehri for Fernando de Souza:
46 mins : Substitution: Michael Lang for Lukas Schenkel:
46 mins : Substitution: Pa Modou Jagne for Kristian Nushi:
46 mins : Substitution: Diego Ciccone for Ze Vitor:
46 mins : Substitution: Marco Hammerli for Marc Zellweger:
46 mins : Substitution: Nico Abegglen for Jiri Koubsky:
46 mins : Substitution: Yvan Martic for Moreno Costanzo:
46 mins : Substitution: Norbert Frrokaj for Moreno Merenda:
54 mins : Johnson playing left-back because Aurelio and Dossena not here
58 mins : Yossi hits one...'keeper tips it over the bar
59 mins : The Israeli's corner is headed over by Ngog
61 mins : Absolutely brilliant tackle from young Martin Kelly on Pa Modou Jagne
64 mins : Substitution: Mario Frick for Mario Caceras:
64 mins : Substitution: Mirko Graf for Fabien Frei:
66 mins : Nice interception from Skrtel to thwart a promising move
74 mins : Great run from Dani Pacheco but he should have passed to the onrushing Yossi...instead he had an unlikely shot saved
79 mins : Nice cut inside from Johnson
80 mins : Substitution: Daniel Sanchez Ayala for Martin Kelly:
81 mins : Cavalieri came off at half-time for Martin, and he's just been replaced by Gulacsi...
84 mins : Good play by Benayoun as Liverpool win a corner - time for a late winner?
84 mins : Pacheco has half a chance from the corner but St Gallen scramble the ball away
86 mins : Johnson delivers a great cross into the area which just evades Lucas
89 mins : St Gallen have a great chance to snatch it late on but the chance goes begging and the scores are still goalless
90 mins : Benayoun almost wins it with the last kick of the game but his shot is saved
19:49 GMT : Match Over
Tagged: St Gallen , glen johnson , johnson , switzerland