Hull defender Daniel Coles (r) is about to hook Yakubu's (l) effort off the line

Boro had wasted a plethora of chances early on before Hull were denied a penalty when Julio Arca appeared to handball a Stephen McPhee shot.

Mark Viduka lashed in a strike to give Boro a 73rd minute lead but it was shortlived as Forster nodded home.

Boro almost clinched a dramatic win but Chris Riggott's effort struck the post.

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Hull had shown plenty of promise in the early stages but that was not backed up in the last third of the pitch and Middlesbrough quickly seized the initiative.

The visitors exerted a sustained spell of pressure on the Hull goal and, whereas the home side struggled to create chances, Boro failed to put their openings away.

McPhee was a menace to Boro's defence

Hull were hanging on and had Daniel Coles to thank for keeping them level when he acrobatically hooked a clearance off the line after Stewart Downing's cross struck Yakubu and looked set to find its way into the net.

Boro's failure to turn their chances into goals was almost punished when Stephen McPhee fizzed a shot wide and Stuart Elliott's looping header forced keeper Brad Jones into a backtracking save.

Hull's period of dominance should then have seen them awarded a penalty when Arca appeared to handball a McPhee close-range shot.

But, referee Uriah Rennie failed to spot the offence to the home crowd's obvious disgust.

The Championship strugglers were a tougher and more stubborn proposition for their Premiership rivals after the break but finally saw Viduka break their resistance.

Yakubu forced the ball to the Australian and he powered his shot home from just inside the box.

But Hull hit back through Forster and managed to hold on to set up a replay on 16 January.

"But we did not take them and credit to Hull they kept plugging away.

"I cannot fault the players because even though we are disappointed not to go through, the attitude was bang on and so was the commitment."

"I said we wanted to be in the hat for the fourth-round draw and we have managed to achieve that, albeit with a replay.

"I was mindful of the run we were on and wanted to go into the QPR game undefeated, and that is what we have done."

Hull: Myhill, Ricketts, Coles, Turner, Dawson, France (Featherstone 90), Ashbee, Livermore, McPhee (Forster 76), Parkin, Elliott (Duffy 60).
Subs Not Used: Duke, Plummer.

Booked: Duffy.

Goals: Forster 79.

Middlesbrough: Jones, Xavier, Riggott, Pogatetz, Taylor, Arca, Boateng, Cattermole (Morrison 68), Downing, Yakubu, Viduka.
Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Parnaby, Christie, Euell.

Booked: Pogatetz, Boateng.

Goals: Viduka 73.

Att: 17,520