Michael Skubala pinpointed a lack of intensity, as his Lincoln City side drew to bottom of the table Shrewsbury Town.
The Imps took an early lead with former Salop man Tom Bayliss netting the opener, before Shrewsbury hit back to end the game level.
“I thought we started the game really well, we went 1-0 up and I think the lads took the foot off the gas,” he said. “I said that at half-time, that we can’t do that.”
Defeat for Shrewsbury would have confirmed their relegation into Sky Bet League Two, though they lived to fight another day.
Skubala said: “Sometimes that’s a challenge when you don’t have a lot to play for. When you go 1-0 up, you can all of a sudden think this can be easier than it is going to be. And, then you get caught.
“If every player is 1% off it, that is 10% across the team. And, we needed to just be fully throttle down instead of taking it off.
“It was a scrappy goal to concede, but there was some pleasing things [in the game].”
The Imps boss was happy to see a range of players get game time who are not usual starters, like Swedish wide-man Erik Ring and Nottingham Forest loanee Joe Gardener.
Speaking to The Linc, Skubala praised the positive start his team made to the game. He said: “It was everything we wanted to do, it was everything we talked about. We started really brightly, and then we got the goal and it felt like we sat back a bit and didn’t keep pushing.”
The Lincoln head coach was quizzed on the Shrewsbury goal, with a potential foul on goalkeeper George Wickens waved away by the referee.
“I think there is a foul there, I think it’s a bit soft from the referee. But, it is what it is,” Skubala said.
First League One minutes for Zane Okoro:
Young winger Zane Okoro, who has featured in cup competitions, played his first league minutes for the Imps.
When asked about the 17-year-old American, the Lincoln head coach said: “He’s been with us for some time, he’s been training with us. He’s a super talent, he’s got lots of talent.
“And, he’s really, really good. So, it was good to get him on the pitch because he’s been in and around the dressing room for a while now and travelling with us to get him used to the environment.
“He found it tough, which surprised him a little bit. The physicality of it, and even though they are pushing the points, the physicality, the intensity is a step up for Zane from the youth team.”
Lincoln travel to play-off hopefuls Reading on Good Friday, with Skubala revealing that a start for injury returnee Ethan Erhahon remains unlikely.