Notts County manager Kevin Nolan was frustrated with the way his side allowed Lincoln to retake the lead after equalising at Sincil Bank.
Andy Kellett had cancelled out Lee Frecklington’s unstoppable strike, only for Bruno Andrade to capitalise after the Magpies failed to clear a cross.
And the boss believes that was the big turning point in the game.
“We went 1-0 down to a fantastic volley – sometimes you’ve got to hold your hands up and take it,” said the boss. “But I thought the reaction was brilliant.
“The lads got themselves back in the game, scoring a goal and working hard.
“But we then gifted Lincoln a second goal after being on top and making them feel a bit anxious.
“We can’t do that because it gave them buoyancy – the crowd got up and they were back on the front foot after we’d flattened everything.
“We just can’t continue to keep shooting ourselves in the foot.”
The boss was also disappointed with what he saw from his team after the break.
“We didn’t put them under half as much pressure as I thought we should have,” he revealed.
“We tried to change the shape to see if we could get Enzio more joy on the wing because he was so successful on Tuesday night – but we didn’t get any crosses in the box.
“It leaves us with a week to make sure we get ready for Forest Green, which is going to be a tough one.
“This is hurting at the minute but I’m confident we can get the season kickstarted then.”
The boss hopes to have Jon Stead back available next weekend, although Nathan Thomas is likely to miss out.
Richard Duffy and Matt Tootle, who were both substituted with first-half injuries at Lincoln, will be assessed over the next 48 hours.