SWINDON TOWN manager Richie Wellens felt it was all positive, despite his side needing a late Michael Doughty goal to rescue a 2-2 draw at home to league leaders Lincoln City.

Town came out and matched the standard-bearers for the vast majority of the first half before a deflected Jason Shackell volley gave the Imps the lead in the 38th minute.

Five minutes previously, the visitors had been reduced to ten men following Bruno Andrade’s petulant stamp on Kyle Knoyle.

However, a Shay McCartan volley from 25 yards sent Lincoln two goals ahead at the break before Swindon began their fightback shortly after the restart.

Keshi Anderson was brought down ten minutes into the second half, giving Doughty the chance to halve the deficit from the spot and when goal-scorer Shackell was dismissed for a second yellow in the aftermath, Town felt a point was there for the taking.

Doughty’s clever finish secured the draw for Town as Wellens was left feeling his side were the better of the two, having dominated large parts of the game.

"The reason I’m so quick (after the game) is because it was all just positive,” said Wellens.

"I'm only going to analyse the game in the first half an hour because when a team goes down to nine, you know they're just going to camp out in their own box and defend.

“Until the first sending off, they couldn’t breathe. We pressed the life out of them. We played some good football and we made their ‘keeper work.

“I thought we were brilliant for the first half an hour.”

In a game where Swindon had 17 shots to Lincoln’s five, Town really should have claimed all three points however, a lack of finishing touch and multiple long-range efforts put paid to that.

Wellens was once again left frustrated that his side were unable to pick up the win, as one or two lapses in concentration at the back would ultimately cost Town dear.

Highlighting the fine margins that are continuing to cost his side points, Wellens said: “Our deficiency – the first and only time they’ve gone into our penalty box (before the first sending off), they’ve scored. And from a second-phase header.

“It’s tough because mentally that can hurt you. We had all the game, we’ve been on the front foot and then you get that sucker punch and go one nil behind.

“We come in at half-time 2-0 down because we’ve made a mistake. We should clear it wide – the kid has scored a wonder goal, I can accept that – but he shouldn’t have been given the opportunity to score a wondergoal.

“We’ve been really good, and we come in 2-0 down because we’ve made two mistakes.”