Town’s game at Lincoln City remains 0-0 at half-time despite the home side going close on a number of occasions.
Jack Lankester was handed his first league start since January 2019 and Stephen Ward, Oli Hawkins and Teddy Bishop returned to the XI.
Lankester, who missed the best part of a season and a half after two stress fractures to his back, came in on the right of the front three with Alan Judge dropping out having complained of a hamstring problem earlier in the week.
Ward took over at left-back from Myles Kenlock, who dropped to the bench, having missed the last three League One matches with the achilles problem he suffered in the visit to the MK Dons.
Bishop replaces Emyr Huws in midfield with the Welshman among the subs, while Hawkins, who came on in the second half as the Blues lost 4-1 at Doncaster on Tuesday having missed the 2-0 victory over Accrington with a groin problem, replaced Freddie Sears, who was also on the bench. Town pair James Wilson and Jon Nolan were facing their former club.
Lincoln made two changes from the team which beat Plymouth 2-0 at Sincil Bank on Tuesday with ex-Blues loanee Tayo Edun and Harry Anderson coming into the team for Sean Roughan and Tom Hopper.
Former Town striker David Johnson’s son Brennan, who is on loan from Nottingham Forest, started for the Imps as their lone central striker.
The home side should have taken the lead in the third minute from the game’s first chance. James Jones crossed low from the right and Jorge Grant, League One’s joint-top scorer alongside Blues wideman Gwion Edwards on five, blasted over at the far post when it looked easier to score.
Lincoln were an inch or two away from going in front again in the seventh minute when Andre Dozzell played a poor pass to Grant on the edge of the area from where the former Forest man hit a shot which flicked off Toto Nsiala and struck the bar. The Blues defender cleared the danger.
The Town goal had lived a charmed life in the opening minutes but on eight Edwards hit a low shot from 20 yards which had power but was too close to Alex Palmer in the Imps goal.
A minute later, Ward saw a strike deflected behind off Anderson as the Blues began to get a foothold in the game.
But Lincoln went close again in the 16th minute when Jones stood a cross up from the right - where the Imps were causing Town considerable problems - which looped just over Grant under pressure from Blues skipper Luke Chambers as he broke in at the far post.
On 19 Edwards blasted a 25-yard free-kick straight at the wall after Bishop had been felled by Liam Bridcutt.
Two minutes later, Jones shot well over for the Imps, who were continuing to look the most likely scorers of the first goal.
In the 27th minute, after the Blues had repeatedly failed to clear the danger following a corner, Anderson was played in on the right of the area but shot across the face of goal under pressure from Wilson.
Town went close for the first time two minutes later when Dozzell sent over a corner from the left, Hawkins met it with a powerful goal-bound header from beyond the far post but Conor McGrandles nodded off the line.
The Blues were starting to pass the ball around more confidently and beginning to get control of the game as the half-hour mark was crossed.
On 31 a poor defensive header dropped to Hawkins 30 yards out with the keeper off his line having come for the initial ball forward but the former Portsmouth man shot well over.
Two minutes before the scheduled break, Johnson was played in on goal by TJ Eyoma on the right of the box and hit a low shot which Holy’s toe sent the wrong side of the post.
The half-time whistle went as Lincoln prepared to take a corner after Holy had failed to deal with a difficult Wilson pass back to him.
Town could count themselves very fortunate not to be at least a goal down at the break with Lincoln having had four very decent chances to go in front.
Two of those came early on with the Blues starting slowly before getting on top possession-wise but without being able to create anything of note.
Lincoln continued to look the more dangerous side with Holy doing very well to thwart Johnson with his toe shortly before half-time.
Lincoln: Palmer, Eyoma, Montsma, Walsh, Edun, Bridcutt, McGrandles, Jones, Anderson, Grant, Johnson. Subs: Ross, Hopper, Scully, Archibald, Soule, Gotts, Roughan.
Town: Holy, Chambers (c), Nsiala, Wilson, Ward, Dozzell, Nolan, Bishop, Lankester, Edwards, Hawkins. Subs: Cornell, McGuinness, Woolfenden, Kenlock, Huws, Bennetts, Sears. Referee: Kevin Johnson (Weston-super-Mare).