IF the faint sound of alarm bells were starting be heard around the KC Stadium at the end of a pointless November, the volume was turned down with a timely reaction last night.
After four consecutive defeats had dragged Hull City into the bottom three of the Premier League for the first time since winning promotion 18 months ago, the rot was stopped with a point as significant as any of the 11 that had preceded it this season.
Holding out an accomplished Everton side to record a first return at this old venue for 62 years, City found the performance a stalled season required at precisely the right time.
No sooner had the Tigers fallen into the bottom three 24 hours before, they had climbed straight back out.
The man to thank was the brilliant Sone Aluko.
On as a second-half substitute, a telling moment of skill and a crisp low finish earned City a precious equaliser to cancel out Romelu Lukaku's first-half opener.
Sometimes it needs a step back to move forward and a starting XI featuring five promotion winners delivered a manful response to a month of toil. Desire had been questioned of late but not here. This was the Tigers of old, in more ways than one. Steve Bruce was justifiably delighted.
City remain without a victory since October 4 – a sequence now stretched to seven games – but this was a point to cherish for an under-pressure side, especially with the visit of West Brom up next. Win that fixture and all notion of a crisis can be dispelled.
Last night's fixture was a last chance to release pressure before a big month on home soil commences with the visit of a beleaguered Baggies outfit and Bruce's team selection reflected a manager dissatisfied with his current lot in life.
Dropping four players, including captain Curtis Davies and Hatem Ben Arfa, he turned back to the players who had brought City to the Premier League. Promotion winners Liam Rosenior, David Meyler and Stephen Quinn, a trio who had made just five league starts between them this season, joined Tom Huddlestone in a revamped starting XI.
Bruce went with familiarity to avert a crisis, naming eight of the side that started last season's FA Cup final, and he could have felt encouraged by an industrious opening from his team. Meyler and Quinn helped provide a far sharper appetite from their roles on the edge of midfield, while Mohamed Diame pushed on to help Nikica Jelavic in attack.
There was an enthusiasm to City's play not often seen in recent weeks but Everton, slowly climbing up through the gears, were eventually able to reclaim the ascendency they perhaps would have expected from the outset.
Lukaku shot straight at Allan McGregor from 25 yards out with the game's first attempt before the Belgian forward found himself on the end of a neat passing move.
Gareth Barry's advances saw him swap passes with Kevin Mirallas and play in Lukaku but his off-balance shot only hit Rosenior.
Half-hearted appeals for handball were quite rightly waved away.
The lively Mirallas then became the man to drive Everton on. After testing McGregor down low with a free-kick, he engineered space on the right of the box to tee up Leon Osman.
The backheel was pretty enough but lacked the power to beat McGregor.
The same could not be said of Lukaku as the home team's persistence paid off in the 34th minute.
Mirallas was again the man to open City up, latching on to a flick and outstripping Dawson in the right channel, and his clever cross was thumped home by his countryman.
Everton sensed a wobbling opponent and pushed for a second before the break.
A corner was blocked out to Muhamed Besic and his curling attempt drifted narrowly wide of the upright with McGregor at full stretch.
For all City had fought and pressed, an improvement from their weekend loss at Old Trafford, Tim Howard's goal was untroubled.
A half chance went to Jelavic on the penalty spot following Ahmed Elmohamady's cross but his header was horribly miscued against his former employers.
The second period, however, began with rays of hope for the visitors. Diame had a shot deflected by Phil Jagielka, before Meyler's eagerness got the better of Leighton Baines and almost picked out Diame.
That was the Senegal international's last contribution when replaced soon after by Aluko, leaving Dawson as the only summer signing remaining on the field for City.
As substitutions go, it was a masterstroke.
Within nine minutes of his emergence off the bench, the Nigeria international had drawn the Tigers level with an individual goal that had once installed him as the darling of the KC Stadium.
Collecting the ball on the right of the penalty area and skipping past Sylvan Distin, he dispatched a fine low finish through Howard for his first Premier League goal in almost 14 months.
It almost got even better soon after as the contest was spun on its axis.
Clever skill on the left again worked Aluko space and his cross was looped agonisingly wide by a back-tracking Jelavic.
City retreated back into shape for the closing stages and Everton grew restless chipping away at a black and amber wall built in front of the Gwladys Street End.
The Toffees had much of the possession but the Tigers would not be beaten this time around.
At the first attempt December is up and running. Bruce must hope the season is too.
