The Tigers won only three of their first 16 league games following relegation from the Premier League and were a club in freefall when local businessmen Assem and Ehab Allam completed their protracted takeover in December.
Dawson said: "If we're totally honest it's been a positive season. We all know the situation the club was in and we all know where we were in November time.
"If someone had said to you in November that we'd still have a chance to make the play-offs with two games to go, you'd have thought they were winding you up.
"The table didn't lie, we were fighting a relegation battle, so if you reflect on the season it can only be positive from where we've come from."
Hull went into Saturday's 1-1 home draw with Crystal Palace five points adrift of the play-offs and needing to win to keep their faint hopes alive, but Nottingham Forest's 5-1 win over Scunthorpe ended the Tigers' interest.
Source: PA
Source: PA