Albion had to settle for their first draw at Withdean in a lively match.

Veteran assistant manager Phil Stant snatched a 79th-minute equaliser for Lincoln shortly after coming on.

Paul Miller gave the visitors an 18th minute lead, but the Seagulls hit back through midfielders Charlie Oatway (43) and Paul Rogers (62).

Oatway's third goal of the season against the club where he once had a loan spell and skipper Rogers' fourth looked like securing the points for Micky Adams' men without their first choice strikers in the starting line-up.

Darren Freeman was further punished by Adams for his red card for spitting at Plymouth by only coming on for the last 20 minutes and virus victim Gary Hart stayed on the bench.

Both teams came into the contest with identical records of only two defeats in their last 12 matches.

Cameron almost gave Albion the lead inside the opening minute. The big Scot bustled past two defenders down the left before his cross was headed narrowly wide of his own goal by Henry.

That presented the Seagulls with the first of three corners inside the opening four minutes as they pressed for a swift breakthrough.

The new little and large strikeforce of Thomas and Cameron were linking up encouragingly, one combination involving the pair ending with Thomas having a shot blocked.

Injury-hit Lincoln, playing with top-scorer Thorpe often alone up front, were very much on the back foot.

But they snatched the lead against the run of play in the 18th minute.Fleming's deep corner was nodded back at the far post by Barnett for MILLER to score with a header.

The referee ruled that the ball had already crossed the line before it was hacked clear by Oatway. It was the first goal conceded by the Seagulls in four matches at Withdean and a jolt to the system after their initial superiority.

Cameron should have levelled on 25 minutes when he was unmarked from Carr's centre. But he headed straight at Richardson, who let in six goals at Withdean on the opening day of the season while on loan to Mansfield.

Thorpe came close to doubling Lincoln's lead three times in the space of four minutes. He muscled past McPherson before blazing over and held off the Albion defender again to test Walton at his near post with a low angled drive.

Thorpe, combining with Miller following an error by Carr, then unleashed a 30-yarder which the diving Walton parried at the expense of a corner.

There was further alarm for Albion on 33 minutes as Fleming's drilled corner struck the near post and Henry headed a good chance straight at Walton from Fleming's resulting cross.

Albion thought they had equalised in the 34th minute, Cullip nodding in Aspinall's corner from inside the six-yard box, but it was disallowed.

The Seagulls equalise four minutes from the break with a goal superbly manufactured by Cameron. Looking for support, he suddenly turned his marker to force his way to the by-line.

The former soldier then pulled the ball back for OATWAY to sidefoot his first home goal for the club from ten yards.

All that was missing from Cameron's first half performance was a goal. He almost provided one two minutes later, but couldn't keep his header on target when beating Richardson to Aspinall's free kick.

Albion reshuffled their defence for the second half. Johnson, replacing Carr, went to right wingback, Watson to left wingback and Campbell into the middle.

Lincoln were forced into a substitution on 58 minutes, Stones coming on for the injured Finnigan.

Gain collected the first booking of the game on 61 minutes for unsporting behaviour and Albion took the lead a minute later.

ROGERS, totally unmarked, ran on to another pinpoint free kick from Watson to find the corner of the net with a glancing header.

Albion introduced Freeman for Thomas on 70 minutes and Lincoln brought on Stant for Poppleton five minutes later.

STANT, the visitors' 37-year-old assistant manager, equalised just four minutes after coming on, slotting the ball in off a post when Miller threaded him through.

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