Darren Moore believes Doncaster’s 1-0 win over Lincoln was as close to a complete performance as his side have delivered so far this season.

Ben Whiteman’s stunning volley separated the two sides in a tightly contested Sky Bet League One game.

And Moore was as pleased with the concentration of his players as they delivered on the game plan to nullify Lincoln, who arrived at the Keepmoat as leaders.

“It was probably the best we have been,” Moore said. “The opposition that we played against and from a mental and physical point of view, the duration that we had to stay concentrated in the game because of the questions that they asked.

“That was as close to a 90-minute performance as we’ve had. They changed their shape in the second half and we had to adjust to that.

“It was a tactical game between two very similar teams. I knew it was going to be a tight game and I don’t think that there was anything between the two teams.

“It was a great advert for League One football and both teams played their part in a great game.

“It was a great goal to win the game, a great move and it needed to be something special because Lincoln possess a strong defensive core.

“In terms of football played at this level, I was certainly pleased with the work that we did off the ball.

“Lincoln are leading the way for a reason, they play effective football. We knew we needed to be at our best today and we were.”

Imps boss Michael Appleton conceded the contest may have been one game too far as they suffered only their second league defeat of the season.

Appleton admitted he was disappointed in his team’s performance and felt Doncaster were much sharper.

“I thought we were second best,” Appleton said. “We were almost like the nearly men.

“We’ve been playing ever so well of late, but I thought they were a bit quicker and sharper to second balls in the right areas.

“It was a fantastic strike for their goal but the build-up and the way it came about should have been better from us.

“We were better in the second half and limited them to counter-attacks. It might have been a game too far for us – but I hope not because we have got another big game on Tuesday night.

“We just looked slightly below what we have been this season. In the final third, we had some good moments but took an extra touch or chose to shoot instead of passing it. We did not have that sharp mind or brightness.”