Hearts’ ability to consistently pick up points when performances didn’t always merit them was a key reason behind their historic title challenge last season.

Now, the chances are there will be no such challenge this time around, but nevertheless, it’s a handy habit to have.

For the second time in less than a week, Wouter Vrancken’s men were miles off it. Indeed, the manager couldn’t have had too many complaints had he overseen a second defeat in five days following the reverse at Falkirk on Tuesday.

But his men showed their mettle here – if not much in the way of quality – to escape with a share of the spoils and move above Rangers into second spot, for a few hours at least.

However, Vrancken knows he can’t afford to have too many days like this. The Belgian has cut an impressive figure in what has been a manic start to his Hearts career. And there has been tangible progress on the park.

But make no mistake, this week has been a reality check. He will have learned plenty.

Stephen Kingsley fires home to rescue a point for Hearts at Rugby Park

The same can be said for his counterpart too. When Neil McCann trudged off the pitch last weekend after watching his team dumped out of the Premier Sports Cup, the writing appeared to be on the wall in terms of his future at the club.

But they were excellent in the win over Hibernian on Tuesday, and demonstrated their character here to get something from the game, even if it may not have felt like it at full-time.

He certainly hasn’t lost the dressing room, that’s for sure. They may be rooted to the bottom of the table going into the international break, but the outlook looks a damn sight brighter than it did this time last week.

Hearts thought they had taken an early lead when Cathal McCarthy headed into his own net as he tried to clear Laurent Mendy’s poke towards the far corner. The celebrations were cut short after VAR spotted a handball by the French midfielder.

That scare seemed to kick Killie into life, and it was they who took the lead with 16 minutes on the clock. Michael Schjonning-Larsen’s ball over the top caught out a static Jamie McCart, allowing Joe Hugill to race clear.

McCart did well initially to get back to put a challenge in as the striker was set to pull the trigger, but unfortunately for him, inadvertently prodded under Beau Reus on the slide and into the net.

No doubt it came against the run of play, but when you defend like that, you deserve everything you get. Dreadful defending all round.

Worryingly, it’s becoming a recurring theme.

Stephen Kingsley celebrates Hearts’ late equaliser at Rugby Park

They were almost given a lifeline five minutes later as Killie keeper Calum Ferrie – making his first league start for the club in place of the injured Max Stryjek – passed straight into no-man’s land under no pressure.

James Wilson gratefully accepted the gift, but couldn’t pick anyone out in the middle with his low cross. He really should have.

It was in keeping with his side’s first-half performance. Everything just seemed rushed.

Manager Vrancken had clearly seen enough just after the half-hour mark, replacing Stuart Findlay with Harry Milne. Findlay wasn’t having the best afternoon against his former club, but it’s fair to say he didn’t look particularly chuffed as he exited the pitch.

The Killie supporters, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the whole episode.

Braga showed wonderful skill on the right touchline to evade three challenges before feeding Wilson on the penalty spot. The teenager’s strike on the turn was meat and drink for Ferrie.

A lacklustre start to the second period saw Vrancken make a triple change before the hour. Interestingly, Braga was one of those replaced. How many times has that happened over the past 12 months when Hearts have been chasing a goal?

Yet it speaks to the malaise the Portuguese is currently in. Absolutely nothing is coming off for him at the moment. It’s something of a surprise that he is still at the club given the interest in him over the summer.

Killie players celebrate after opening the scoring against Hearts through a Jamie McCart own goal 

Maybe that’s playing on his mind a little. Maybe he’s just not getting the rub of the green.

Either way, he could do with this break to reset and rediscover the kind of form which saw him deservedly crowned last season’s PFA Premiership Player of the Year.

The changes did at least give Hearts some energy, if not much in the way of added quality. For the most part, Killie dealt with everything that came into their box.

The problem was that it kept coming straight back to them.

Substitute JJ Williams inexplicably headed over the top from just a couple of yards out with 15 to play as the pressure ramped up.

Killie’s resistance was broken with five minutes of normal time to play when Kingsley pounced on a loose ball after the hosts failed to clear their lines to sweep home into the bottom corner.

Considering how well the hosts had defended their box until that point, it was a bad goal to lose.

Still, the cheers which went up from three of the four stands at full-time suggested they were happy enough with a point.