GREAT Britain's women's football team warmed up for their Olympic opener with a goalless draw with Sweden at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

Hope Powell's side were unable to break down their highly-rated opponents, who finished third at last year's World Cup.

However, the draw represented a decent way to sign off ahead of next Wednesday's Olympic opener against New Zealand at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, a game that will be the first action of the entire Olympic Games.

Team GB featured two North-East players, with Sunderland-born Jill Scott impressing at the heart of midfield and South Hetton's Steph Houghton lining up at left-back.

Houghton recorded the first effort on target, but her tenth-minute free-kick was saved by Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl.

Great Britain's main attacking threat came from the lively running of Birmingham attacker Eni Aluko, and her 18th-minute cross led to Ellen White shooting just wide of the target.

Sweden's best chance of the first half saw Caroline Seger shoot narrowly wide after good approach play Sofia Jakobsson, and Britain goalkeeper Karen Bardsley was forced to produce a decent save to deny Jakobsson shortly before the interval.

The second half saw a number of substitutions and Team GB replacement Rachel Yankey came closest to breaking the deadlock with a 70th-minute strike that rebounded off the left-hand upright.

Aluko's through ball sent Yankey scampering through the middle, but she was unable to find the target from ten yards out.

The hosts continued to push for a winner, but were grateful for some Swedish profligacy with seven minutes left as Seger failed to find the target from the end of the six-yard box after a smart right-wing cross from Lina Nilsson.

GREAT BRITAIN (4-2-3-1): Bardsley (Brown 46); A Scott, Stoney (Rafferty 84), Dieke (Bradley 63), Houghton; J Scott, Asante (F Williams 46); Aluko, Little, White (Yankey 46); Smith (Carney 63).
Subs (not used): R Williams, Higgins, Susi, Ross, Clarke.

SWEDEN (4-4-2): Lindahl; Svensson (Nilsson 46), Berglund, Sembrant, Thunebro; Asllani (Goransson 66), Dahlkvist (Almgren 59), Fischer, M Hammarstrom (Edlund 66); Seger, Jakobsson (Moberg 82).
Subs (not used): Lundgren (gk), Levenstad, Segerstrom, Landstrom, K Hammarstrom.