It all added to the impression that this was a reactive and short term appointment to try and see us avoid relegation. While a point against the bottom side in the league is hardly a fantastic result we have to be realistic given our terrible form and focus instead on the new manager's performance.
It may have been that players were starting with a clean slate or it may have been to make his mark, but Pearson showed he wasn't afraid to change things around, dropping the out of form Euell and substituting local golden boy Drew Surman after one of his less impressive outings.
The less said about Wright at right midfield the better, but that may be more of a sign of the paucity of options available to him. Hammill helped stake his claim to the right midfield berth with his usual mix of energy, enterprise and error.
He also called Licka in from the cold for an impressive cameo that showed that there is still some potential in the squad outside of those who underperform.
Indeed all three subs can be said to have made an impact with Licka, Wright-Phillips and Hammill all adding purpose to the attack and helping to swing the balance in our favour. How many times have we been able to say that this season?
The message was clear - underperform and you're out. With a couple of additional loan signings to freshen things up and provide much needed competition the new boss may well be able to inspire a turnaround in a squad short of confidence.
The other encouraging sign was his gesture to the long suffering away fans at the end of the game, making sure that the players went over to thank them for their support, a change from some of the head-between-tails exits that haven't helped the bond between players and fans.
So, although many problems remain to be solved, the manager should be praised for providing at least some green shoots of recovery ahead of a full week's training and another massive home game against Ipswich.