Although Selhurst Park was not the cauldron of hatred many expected it to be, Iain Dowie was grateful for the support shown by his players as his side scored a late equaliser to take a point off Championship rivals Crystal Palace.
The Coventry City manager was making his first return to the Londoners since he left to take over at Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2006, a moved that sparked a court case in which he was sued by Palace chairman Simon Jordan.
Dowie lost that case and looked like losing Tuesday night's game until Leon Best levelled three minutes from the end to make sure Coventry bounced back from last Saturday's home defeat by Bristol City.
When the striker lashed the into the net he and his team-mates set off towards the bench and mobbed their manager as a show of unity in a hostile atmosphere.
The gesture was not lost on former Northern Ireland international Dowie who had been booed by some for the manner of his departure but also applauded by others for guiding the Eagles to an unlikely promotion in 2004.
"There is no point beating about the bush, there was always going to be extra spice in the game and you saw the togetherness of the whole team after we scored the goal," Dowie said. "That's something I've always had with my players. I thought Leon Best and Robbie Simpson brought something different after coming on as sub and we were well worth the point.
"I thought we dominated in the first half and there were not many sides who will come here and have 60/40 possession in their favour in the opening period."
But Dowie still believes his side need to be more defensively aware having leaked three at the weekend and another soft goal in midweek when Stuart Green was given the freedom of the area to open the scoring.
"Despite our possession, just like Saturday we allowed them too many chances even when we were dominating," Dowie said. "Palace stopped us playing in the second half a little bit so its just a case of us needing to put together a full 90 minutes."
However uncomfortable Dowie's evening was, his counterpart Peter Taylor's was even more so. The former England Under-21 manager is thought to have just three games in which to save his job and could have turn without Best's strike.
"I am not confident but I just don't know because I have not spoken to Simon. I doubt we will speak before the weekend but he has had a few things on his plate," he said.
"If I'm honest it's not nice when you read that he has been having regular contact with Neil Warnock. But I don't think the fact that we failed to beat an Iain Dowie team makes any difference.
"I hope I am given time because I enjoy the job. I would like to be successful here."
