Now I'd like to think that I wasn't one of those supporters who came away from games thinking that we were the better side after we touched the ball seven times in the entire game, but I reckon like most Dale fans at the game, I came away from this match wondering how we didn't win this game at an absolute canter.

But according to the locals, it wasn't like that at all. Two points dropped for the home side, after missing chance after chance, Ciaran Toner singled out as the worst player on the pitch and Peter Jackson making up stuff about being sent to the director's box after waiting for the rest of the home stand to join in his YMCA dance. As I said, I must have been somewhere else on Friday evening or at least I need to double check to make sure this wasn't last week's paper.

Anyway, around 250 Dale fans decided to weave their way in and out of the rush hour traffic to make it down to Lincoln for this Friday evening game. The midweek victory over Carlisle had meant that there were a few changes from the last League game, with Thorpe and Toner included against their former side, and Holness retaining his place at right back.

The first half belonged to the home side but it was Dale who went in at half time leading 1-0.

They had the early pressure having us on the back foot, but we stood resolute in the face of their oppression. Chances were only half chances, and a confident looking Russell was ruling the roost in his box. But for all their early possession, it did them no good whatsoever as it was Dale who took the lead midway through the first half.

With Dale pressing, the ball came out to Adam Rundle who was on the edge of the box, and urged on by my good self in a usual stylee, I implored the former Carlisle man to shoot, and from outside the box, he volleyed it past the keeper for the first serious candidate for goal of the season of the 2008-9 campaign.

The home team should have been given an opportunity to get back on level terms when they were denied what looked to me to be a clear penalty. Holness got away with a clumsy challenge in the box, but the ref's consistency ensured that both sets of fans were frustrated all night by him, and he let Holness off. A big sigh of relief all round.

Now our half time draw has attracted a fair bit of stick in recent weeks, what with getting blindfolded, spun round sixteen times, then having to hit the cross bar three times on the trot with your wrong foot. But Lincoln have the corker of all competitions. A door suddenly appeared on the pitch and you had to kick the ball into the door to win a door, which surely discriminates against the homeless. Do the Football League run courses on these things?

The second half was almost the perfect away performance. We allowed Lincoln to have plenty of possession, and just looked to take them apart on the break. To which we did, creating enough chances to secured three successive automatic promotions and a Champions League campaign. But a combination of poor finishing and bad decision making meant that we couldn't add to our tally when it just seemed a matter of time before we added a second, third and so on.

Of course, with the local news hack already having filed his report for the game, most of these chances will have occurred whilst he was gazing lovingly into Peter Jackson's eyes. But it was the sort of second half to have had Bumble coming out with one of his "We murdered 'em" lines.

The second half was simply defend well, and try and keep Lee Thorpe onside. We got it half right, with Thorpe responsible for ten of our eleven offsides. But when we did get things right, we struggled to convert possession in excellent areas into testing the opposition keeper.

Jonah was the most guilty after breaking through, and for the first time in ages when we wanted one of our players to pass rather than shoot, our captain took it on himself with Rundle in acres to his right.

By now, the chances were coming thick and fast, and it seemed to be a case of wondering who'd be our next scorer, rather than wondering whether we would score. Alfie came close too, but his effort was always hopeful rather than dangerous.

It was all getting too much for Peter Jackson. The injustice of not getting that first half penalty bothered him throughout, and he lost the plot waving his arms all over the place, before taking it out on a cup of tea (clearly no Jamie Taylor around to bully this time) and he was sent to the stand to continue his pantomime act.

I have to say that at no point in the second half did I ever feel that our lead was anything other than incredibly comfortable. Whilst it was clear that right back isn't his natural position, the inclusion of Holness had given some central strength to our defence.

So it was an absolute kick in the knackers when with just four minutes remaining, Lincoln popped up with an equaliser. It came after Dagnall had been caught messing about near our own goal line rather than getting rid, and it allowed a further spot of pressure for the home side.

The ball got crossed over and it fell to their teenage defender who got delusions of grandeur in thinking he was a top class international striker. Unfortunately for us, he produced the finish of one, giving Russell no chance at all and with what was probably their only real effort on goal in the second half, we'd fallen foul to another late equaliser.

Now understandably, you'd have expected a late flurry of air siren slaughter from the home side, but we had two or three absolutely golden chances to win it in the remaining seconds.

And with what seemed to be the final kick of the game, Alfie was given the ball on the edge of the six yard box, but he produced a shot so tame it could have been accused of being a back pass.

There was plenty to be pleased about, as this was another dominating performance, and things are markedly better than they were four or five games ago, and if we continue to improve in this vein, then it won't be long till we start firing on all cylinders.

But it was another game in which we've let points drop and a game which we may come back to regret come the business end of the season. As a team which needs to over achieve to get to where we want to be, over achieving teams don't allow that many points to get away from them

The improvements are continuing though, and Jones and Toner showed probably the first signs of a midfield pairing. Keltie's merits aren't in doubt, but the two in this game showed more signs of clicking meaning we've got options all over the place. The disappointment at not winning is a further indication of that progress we're making, and the Dagenham result is nowt but a fleeting memory now.