But against the Scarlets - Lydiate's first start since he broke his ankle in September and his first appearance at the Millennium Stadium since helping Wales complete the 2012 Grand Slam - the Dragons proved there is reason for long-term optimism.
Dan Evans excelled at fly-half while Jonathan Evans impressed at scrum-half and while Lydiate will be beginning a fresh challenge on the continent next summer, he demonstrated he will be giving his all to the Dragons cause between now and the end of the season.
"It's been tough while I've been out injured, sitting and watching and I've just been desperate to get back out there," he said.
"I was hoping to return for Wales during the Six Nations but when I found out I wasn't it was all about getting back for the Dragons.
"I feel like I'm getting there, the ankle is fine and I've played 40 minutes, 62 minutes against the Scarlets and now I want to get 80 minutes under my belt.
"We performed very well against the Scarlets but at the end of the day it was still a loss. We let them score two tries in quick succession and we couldn't come back from that.
"We were still very disappointed to come off the pitch having lost because we've got some very good players here, we just haven't been getting the results.
"I want to finish my Dragons career on a high. I owe them a lot and I'm feeling fresh as we get towards the end of the season and I want to give my all between now and then."
It doesn't get much easier for Lydiate and co with a trip to Ulster on the horizon this weekend.
Ulster may have crashed out of the Heineken Cup last Saturday at the hands of Saracens but in the RaboDirect PRO12 they have appear to have got over their blip, having defeated Leinster in Dublin last time out.
Currently second, they will be desperate to secure victory at Ravenhill to take another step towards a home RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final - and Lydiate is only too aware of the size of the task ahead.
"It doesn't get much harder than that, it's going to be a really tough challenge," he added.
"I want to get 80 minutes under my belt and Ulster showed how good they are with their result against Leinster.
"It won't be easy but we have to rise to the challenge and put in a performance and keep fighting until the end of the season."
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