In the eighth minute, Tigers keeper Boaz Myhill did well to anticipate a long ball from Brian Tinnion to the dangerous Steve Brooker, who had the ball snatched out of his path seconds before being given the opportunity to shoot at an open goal.
Brooker came even closer in the 12th minute, when he unleashed a low 20-yard shot that Myhill couldn't quite hang on to at the first attempt, but managed to gather before Leroy Lita could pounce.
Kevin Ellison shot well over in the 15th minute, after a mistake by Louis Carey gifted Hull City possession deep into their own half.
The game became rather scrappy mid-way through the first half, with neither team making much headway. But it took a stunning save in the 26th minute from Boaz Myhill, who tipped over a 20-yard shot from the unmarked Brian Tinnion.
Hull City had their best opportunity of the match so far in the 32nd minute, after a move started by an excellent ball into the box from Ellison on the left wing. Nick Barmby knocked it back to Junior Lewis, but he aimed his shot from the edge of the area inches wide.
In the 36th minute, Ryan France looked certain to score for the Tigers, but Clayton Fortune somehow raced back to deny him with an excellent challenge.
Stuart Green, after an excellent ball from Barmby, shot just wide minutes later. Hull City's long balls were catching the Robins out time after time, but no-one could hit the target.
Minutes after the restart, the Robins nearly snatched the lead, after Brooker swung at Murray's cross, leaving Myhill nowhere and Lita with the simple task of nodding in from 6 yards - but he saw his header cannon off the near post.
The Tigers began to put on the pressure, winning six corners in under 10 minutes. One of them saw defender Leon Cort head on target, before Nick Barmby finally made the breakthrough, scoring from 18 yards after being played in by Stockdale on the right wing. But just seconds later, Barmby was stretchered off after clashing into Robins' keeper Phillips, who was then booked - not for a foul, but for dissent.
But in the 76th minute, as they had always been threatening to do, Brooker and Lita combined to grab the vital equaliser and snuff out the fiery atmosphere inside the KC Stadium. Stockdale and Cort failed to get challenges in, leaving the Robins frontmen with the box at their mercy, and Lita made no mistake with his right-foot shot past Myhill.
The Tigers never really looked like getting the winner after that, despite continuing to pressurise the Robins. But the final result was no less than Bristol City deserved for their dogged determination.