It was no game for the purists but at least the visitors seemed happy at the end as they hugged each other joyfully after securing a well-earned point.
Darlington took their unbeaten League run under caretaker manager Mick Tait to three games, but this was a case of two points dropped rather than a point gained.
Darlington dominated the game throughout and only a succession of missed chances kept the visitors in the game.
The Quakers had enough chances to have won the game by the break but they failed to hit the target, not for the first time this season.
They should have taken the lead in the 31st minute when they were handed two chances in quick succession.
Firstly, after a slip by Lincoln captain Paul Morgan, Neil Wainwright should have opened the scoring when he picked up the loose ball and raced goalwards, rounded keeper Alan Marriott and then saw his goalbound shot cleared by the recovering Morgan for a corner.
From the deadball situation defender Stuart Bimson came to his side's rescue and he cleared a header from Barry Conlon off the goalline and then soon afterwards a Matthew Clarke header went narrowly wide for the hosts.
The visitors had failed to bother home keeper Andy Collett in the first period and things hardly got better for the visitors in the second.
Darlington continued to dominate and Ashley Nicholls sent a long distance drive over the crossbar and then a diving header from captain Craig Liddell, in the 66th minute, went narrowly over the City crossbar.
In the last minute the visitors had their first two chances of the game when a header from Dene Cropper was easily gathered by Collett and then in time added on the Quakers keeper easily claimed from a Bimson free kick.
Afterwards Darlington boss Mick Tait said: "It's to our credit that teams are coming here to defend, but we need to be a bit more creative around the box and that will come with time.
"I would love to do this job on a permanent basis but it's up the chairman.
"The players have responded extremely well to the games I've been in charge of." City boss Keith Alexander said: "It was one of those days when we found chances difficult to come by but I thought we defended well today as we have done all season."