Chances were limited for both sides, but Danny Hylton went close to breaking the deadlock in the first half when he saw his volley from a Dan Potts cross spilled by keeper Paul Farman, with Luke Berry ready to pounce, but the stopper got there just before the ex-Cambridge United man was able to smash home the loose ball.

The Hatters went closest in the second half, when Hylton managed to round Farman after Harry Cornick had won possession deep in the Imps half, but the Town's top scorer last season couldn't pick out a team mate for them to fire home.

Jones said: "It's a good point, not many will come here and keep a clean sheet. I thought we battled. A clean sheet was vital today considering how they play, but it's a real difficult place to come because there's no flow in the game, there's constant free-kicks. They could win a free-kick in their corner and they'd put it into your box.

"There's no chance of any real flow or anything. We had to live on scraps, we had to make sure we competed and we got on seconds, then hit them on the counter-attack. It's not an open game or a building game when you can press and so on.

"I don't think there was half an hour of open play in that game. It's constant free-kicks, constant stoppages. They put the ball in your box, you have to compete. It's a different brand of football and I think we stood up to it.

"These will be there or thereabouts. I think the last two games we have played, away from home, against two sides that will be fancied, they put a certain pressure on you and if you don't concentrate you get punished. I am just pleased with the point today. It wasn't a vintage performance from us today."