When Dean Windass volleyed home that glorious winning goal in last season’s play-offs final at Wembley to take Hull City into the Barclays Premier League for the first time, he and romantics everywhere probably envisaged him adding at least a handful more for his home-town team in an Indian summer in the top division.

Unfortunately, Phil Brown, the Hull manager, could not afford to place his club’s chances of survival solely in the hands of a 39-year-old striker, however iconic, and until Saturday Windass had made only two cameo appearances in Premier League matches, both in games long out of City’s reach.

So Windass’s desire to lay claim to Hull’s second equaliser at Fratton Park on his third substitute appearance was easy to understand, even though he got only the faintest of touches — if any — to the ball before Noé Pamarot headed it into his own net during a scramble in the Portsmouth penalty area. “I headed the ball towards the goal and if I hadn’t done that, it wouldn’t have gone in, would it?” he said. “So I’m going to claim it, no worry about that.”

The dubious goals committee may rule otherwise, but Windass’s presence was certainly a factor and a point has been made. “I am very disappointed that I have not been involved and the gaffer knows that,” he said. “But now he has got a bit of food for thought. I thought at times my chance might not come, but I am not going to throw it away for anyone. I have had many chats with the manager and he knows I am champing at the bit.

“If I couldn’t do any more, I would walk away, but I know I can. I have never been known for my pace, but they don’t defend on the halfway line in the Premier League, they defend on the edge of their own penalty box, so there is no space to run into anyway. I am fit as anyone and I know where the goal is. I am one for knocking the manager’s door down, but I won’t be doing it after this because I’m sick to death of doing it. I don’t think there are any more to be knocked down — I’ve ruined a few.”

If Windass’s “goal” was a scramble, then the strike that had put Portsmouth 2-1 up was worth the price of admission on its own, as Glen Johnson sent a thunderous dipping volley over Boaz Myhill with his left foot. Earlier, Michael Turner’s header for Hull had cancelled out a goal in the first half from Peter Crouch.

Hull’s never-say-die spirit on their travels merited a point, but Portsmouth made more chances in an entertaining and open game and could — perhaps should — have scored five. Before Tony Adams took over from Harry Redknapp a month ago, Portsmouth had not failed to win a match in which they had led since the opening day of last season. It has happened in two of his three home matches in charge and the likely absence of Jermain Defoe for the rest of the year, if, as expected, he requires surgery on a calf injury, will hardly help.

Adams, though, preferred to look at the positives, one of which was Johnson’s performance, after an impressive game for England in Germany. “The more I work with him on the training pitch, the better I think he’s going to become,” Adams said. “The best form of defence is going forward, isn’t it, and he is strong going forward. But if he wants to play for his country on a regular basis, he’s got to do both sides. It was an outstanding goal, fantastic technique. I just wanted it to be the winner. I think it deserved to be.”

Portsmouth (4-4-2): D James 5 - G Johnson 7, Y Kaboul 6, S Distin 5, N Pamarot 5 - P Bouba Diop 5, S Davis 4, R Hughes 6, N Belhadj 7 - P Crouch 5, J Utaka 4. Substitutes: D Nugent 6 (for Hughes, 58min), A Traoré 5 (for Belhadj, 58), Kanu (for Utaka, 74). Not used: J Ashdown, H Hreidarsson, A Mvuemba, G Little. Next: Blackburn Rovers (h).

Hull City (4-3-1-2): B Myhill 7 - P McShane 6, M Turner 6, K Zayatte 6, S Ricketts 5 - D Marney 7, I Ashbee 5, G Boateng 5 - Geovanni 5 - M King 5, D Cousin 5. Substitutes: P Halmosi (for Boateng, 72min), D Windass (for King, 72), S Giannakopoulos (for Marney, 82). Not used: M Duke, N Doyle, N Barmby, R Garcia. Next: Stoke City (a).