A late Scott Boden goal rescues a point for the Exiles at St James' Park.
Manager Warren Feeney replaced the injured Scott Barrow with Janoi Donacien, with new signing Tom Meechan starting on the bench.
The game was ten minutes old when the Exiles were able to carve out the first opportunity of the afternoon. Mark Byrne hit a first time pass over the top of the home defence and the ball bounced into the path of John Ayina. The winger took a touch too many, that narrowed his angle on goal and resulted in him hitting his effort wide of the post.
Medy Elito was busy in the heart of the County midfield and provided a creative pass that found skipper Mark Byrne cutting inside the Exeter area. With time and space to pick out a pass, Byrne opted to fire a driven ball into the six-yard area that was deflected away.
Just before the twenty minute mark striker Conor Wilkinson, who extended his stay with the Exiles on Friday, robbed the home defence on the edge of their area and beat 'keeper Bobby Olejnik with a composed finish, only to see his effort bounce back off the post.
Just moments later the striker had a carbon copy of the same chance and opted for the same finish that flew past Olejnik, only for his effort to bounce back off the same post again, to deny the striker.
Just past the half hour mark, Joe Day was forced into action to push away a fierce effort from Ryan Harley and the 'keeper did well, diving to his right to divert the ball away from danger.
County's first corner of the day came ten minutes before the break. Mark Byrne hit a in-swinging set-piece into the congested six-yard area and the ball fell to Darren Jones at the far post. The defender waited patiently for the ball to drop and sent a powerful volley towards goal that was deflected away.
Into the one minute of stoppage time in the first-half and Darren Jones was penalised on the edge of the County area. Alex Nicholls sent the resulting free-kick towards goal and his set piece clipped the crossbar on its way through.
Janoi Donacien was replaced by Andrew Hughes during the half-time break, and it was Hughes who was cautioned for a challenge five yards from the corner of the County area. From the resulting free-kick the hosts delivered a curling ball into the area that found Jordan Tillson unmarked at the far post, who was able to poke the ball into the back of the net.
With twenty-five minutes left on the clock a corner from County caused the home side problems, when the ball bounced around the area. The ball eventually fell to Scott Boden, who was only able to lift his close range header over the crossbar.
It was in the 84th minute that County were able to grab the equaliser. A inviting ball from the left by Medy Elito was met by the head of Scott Boden, who was able to glance his header past Olejnik.
The goal spurred the Exiles on heading into the closing stages, with Boden latching onto a low cross by Yan Klukowski and sending his effort over the crossbar in stoppage time.
FINAL SCORE: EXETER CITY 1 - 1 NEWPORT COUNTY
County Starting XI: Day, Holmes, Davies, Donacien (45' Hughes), Jones, Elito, Byrne, Rodman (75' Klukowski), Ayina (67' Morgan), Boden, Wilkinson
Subs: Beeney, Klukowski, Hughes, Morgan, Owen-Evans, Parselle, Meehan
Yellow Card: Hughes, Morgan
Exeter City Starting XI: Olejnik, McAllister, Harley, Holmes, Davies, Nicholls, Moore-Taylor (capt), Wheeler, Tillson, Stockley, Brown.
Subs: Butterfield, Woodman, Morrison, Reid, Hamon, Grant, Taylor
Attendance: 3,924 (443 away fans)