Lincoln manager Michael Skubala praised the mentality of his side after TJ Eyoma struck late to earn the Imps a point against Barnsley.
Barry Cotter and John McAtee both scored in the second half to cancel out Danny Mandroiu’s penalty early on, but Eyoma struck in the 88th minute – his first goal of the season – when a corner caused mayhem in the Barnsley area.
It ensured Skubala avoided defeat in his first home game in charge, having won one and lost one on the road since being appointed earlier this month.
“We’ve got an honest group,” he said. “I think they’re a hard-working group and I think they’re really good in those [difficult] periods.
“They stuck with it, they stuck together and then let’s just keep hold of the ball a little bit better in moments, but I was really pleased with the mentality.”
Skubala saved specific praise for Eyoma, but felt it was a good all-round team performance.
“I thought he (Eyoma) was really solid again today at the back and he’s got on the scoresheet with that goal,” he added.
“I think Danny Mandroiu was good today. I thought a couple of other lads performed really well.
“Jovon (Makama) gave us a really good 60 minutes for his start up there. So yeah I think there were some really positive performances there.
“One thing, maybe we could just have looked after the ball a little bit better.”
Barnsley boss Neill Collins believes his side’s performance was worthy of a win and that they were hard done by with the late equaliser.
“I think we should be celebrating three points based on our performance,” he said.
“To give away a penalty after a really strong start was disappointing, but then after that I thought we controlled the majority of the game.
“It really came to a crescendo when we got the equaliser and then we went ahead.
“So to lose a goal off a set piece is very disappointing, especially when the set piece should never have been in the first place.
“Their player’s headed the ball over the bar and the referee’s decided to give them a corner.
“We need to be better in those moments, but it’s hard to be too critical of our players.”
Captain Jordan Williams’ clumsy challenge on Jack Burroughs gave Mandroiu the opportunity to open the scoring from the penalty spot and Collins would like to see those sort of errors avoided.
“I think the performance was good – it’s just trying to iron out a couple of the details,” he added.
“If we can stop giving penalties away, it’d be a good start.”
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Al-Ittihad pegged back as winless run rolls on
Mohamed Sherif scored late on as Al-Ittihad's winless run in the Saudi Pro League stretched to four games after a 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej.
Al-Ittihad have endured a miserable title defence, and with just two games remaining, the highest the big-spending, PIF-backed club can finish is fourth.
Muhannad Al Shanqiti put them ahead on the stroke of half-time, yet despite having a further eight shots and accumulating 1.07 xG in the second half, Al-Ittihad could not add another.
Their profligacy proved costly in the 81st minute, with Egypt international Sherif snatching an equaliser for 11th-placed Al-Khaleej.
Al-Tai moved out of the relegation zone with a surprise 3-1 win over seventh-placed Al-Fateh, with Bernard Mensah scoring twice.
Al-Raed, meanwhile, claimed a 1-0 win at Al-Wehda.
Data Debrief: Kante the creator?
On the day he received a surprising France recall, N'Golo Kante created three chances for Al-Ittihad, leading the team.
On the flip side, Kante only attempted one tackle, with the midfielder showing a different side to his game, not that it proved fruitful for his team.
Ronaldo motivated to keep playing at top level
Cristiano Ronaldo has no intention of stopping as he says he is still motivated to compete with the "young lions" coming through in the game.
Ronaldo is reportedly considering signing a contract extension to keep him at Al-Nassr until June 2026, taking him past his 41st birthday.
The Portugal international has scored 42 goals in 41 appearances for the Saudi Pro League club this season, and he insists he is still motivated to keep going.
Speaking on the Whoop podcast, he said: "I feel proud to have this age and still compete at the highest level. It's great, and it gives me motivation to carry on.
"If you look at my career for the last 20 years, my level is high. If you are top for 20 years, it's unbelievable.
"I do that, and I continue to do that. For me, it's a big achievement."
Ronaldo has scored an incredible 891 goals in his career and is the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 128 goals.
"My biggest motivation is to carry on," he added. "It's not easy to be at this level.
"To still push, to still motivate, to carry on, to score goals, to be in good shape, to compete with the young lions that are coming and that when they play against me, they want to show me that they are stronger and faster than me.
"You have to prepare very well, not just physically but mentally, too. This is the challenge.
"Talent without work is nothing and work without talent is nothing. They have to work together at the same time. I have both. I can't say that I have more of one than the other.
"Small details will make the difference. Consistency is the most difficult thing.
"Are you willing to do that? That's the main point, because everyone wants to be Cristiano, but doing it is difficult. Discipline is the most difficult thing."
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