The Imps had to settle for a point in a battling performance at Millwall.
Andrei Coubiș' first goal in English football gave the Imps a lead inside the opening seconds of the game, with Rob Street doubling the advantage.
Although City could not hold on to the lead as they were pegged back twice in the second half, they can take real heart from their battling performance to ultimately get a deserved point at a venue renowned as one of the toughest venues in English football to go and get a result.
Head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw made six changes following Wednesday's game against West Ham, with Reeco Hackett going straight into the starting XI after completing the concussion protocols.
Coubiș, Yunus Konak, Dom Jefferies, Street and Adam Reach also came into the starting XI. Conor McGrandles and Tom Hamer served suspensions, while Mason Melia was still recovering from injury and Ben House was a late withdrawal from the squad due to illness.
City started brightly and took the lead with just 26 seconds on the clock. Having kicked off the game, the ball was rolled back for George Wickens to kick out to the right.
Hackett twisted and turned, with two deliveries blocked. The final clearance fell to Coubiș - in an attacking position thanks to the attacking intent from kick-off - whose first-time right-footed shot was perfectly placed into the far corner for his first goal in English football.
The home side's inevitable response saw Kyrell Lisbie flash a shot wide after eight minutes.
Hackett almost capped his return with a stunning free-kick goal when he tried to catch Filip Marschall out from wide on the right.
With Marschall in a central position to cover a potential cross from Ivan Varfolomeev, Hackett swung in a left-footed effort which had the home keeper scrambling to keep out at the near post. He could not hold on to the ball, but was relieved to see it bounce off an Imps player and behind for a corner.
The game was evenly contested, with the home side forcing a number of corners but not Wickens into a save.
City's second goal came just after the half-hour mark. A short-corner routine was initially cleared but Konak's headed ball back into the area was deflected into the path of Sonny Bradley, who calmly passed the ball to Street who fired home at the near post.
There was a moment shortly afterwards when the offside flag went up against Street after Draper played him through, then Street's attempt to find Hackett was blocked.
Wickens made his first save in the 45th minute, holding Lisbie's header which he was perfectly positioned for. A few minutes later, in time added on, he again was well-placed to collect Derek Mazou-Sacko's shot from distance.
The Imps started the second half as brightly as they had the first, hitting a post twice in quick succession early after the restart.
Reach's initial cross from the left was met by Draper with a header, but it was saved by Max Crocombe - who had replaced Marschall at the interval - who forced the ball onto the near post.
Jefferies was was placed to collect the rebound, but saw his effort clip the inside of the bar and somehow bounce the full length of the goal to safety.
Wickens was first into action when a header from Lyndon Dykes was blocked by Deji Elerewe, and needed the Imps keeper to palm it away in a top corner.
The Lions did find a breakthrough moments later when, after his initial shot was blocked by Bradley, Lisbie fired home a powerful effort.
City threatened immediately afterwards with Draper getting a powerful shot away from just inside the area. Crocombe got a powerful right-hand to it, with Hackett agonisingly just inches away from getting on the rebound.
The Imps had to defend resolutely, and Wickens made himself big for a crucial save after 77 minutes when a deflected pass found its way to Lisbie who was through on goal and looked certain to score.
The leveller was scrambled home by Jake Cooper.
And City were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages when Elerewe was shown a straight red after pushing Zak Lovelace and denying a goalscoring opportunity.
The resulting free-kick from just outside the area was fired towards goal by Romain Esse, but was well blocked by the wall.
It was now a case of ensuring we got the point the performance deserved.
And the Imps did threaten on the counter, but Callum Elder's ball through for Varfolomeev was too far ahead of the Ukraine international.
In the end it was a hard-earned point for both sides.
Millwall: Marschall (Crocombe, 46), Sturge, Crama (Leonard,, 72), Cooper (c), Taylor, Neghu, Dykes, Metcalfe, Sykes (Cundle, 46), Lisbie (Lovelace, 80), Mazou-Sacko.
Subs: Osei-Tutu, Esse, Baggott, Kelly, Doughty.
Imps: Wickens, Reach (Towler, 80), Coubis, Hackett (Oyegoke, 66), Bradley, Jefferies (Elder, 80), Street, Varfolomeev, Elerewe, Konak, Draper (Ladefoged,.
Subs: Gauci, Bayliss, Olaofe, Honohan, Ogbene.
Referee: Reubyn Ricardo.
Attendance: 19,834 (2,068 away).
