'We made them look ordinary' - Lincoln City boss reacts to their defeat to Doncaster Rovers

Lincoln dominated possession and chances in the clash at Sincil Bank but ultimately lost thanks to a Taylor Richards goal, two penalty saves from Ellery Balcombe and a remarkable defensive performance from Rovers.

Appleton said he could not be too downhearted by the defeat because the performance only gave him confidence Lincoln would win more games than not before the end of the campaign.

“I just hope we get all our frustrations out in one game,” Appleton said.

“It was arguably the best performance since I’ve been here. It had everything. I thought we were outstanding with the ball, we were good out of possession.

“We gave away a bit of a scruffy goal from our point of view but in terms of asking questions of the opposition, asking their keeper to make saves, making their defenders put their bodies on the line, I can’t ask for any more. It had everything.

“And that’s against a side who normally like to dominate the ball and are probably the better side [in their games] most weeks. We made them look pretty ordinary but ultimately we haven’t won the game.

“Performances don’t always win you games but, from a long-term point of view, if we’re 70 to 80 per cent what we were today, we’ll win a lot more games between now and the end of the season.”

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