Kion Etete scored his first goal for Newport County to secure a 1-1 draw with York City on Saturday. The result extends the Exiles' unbeaten run in League Two to five matches and leaves them 11th in the table on 14 points from 11 games, having recorded three wins and five draws alongside three losses.
Ollie Pearce had put the visitors ahead after just four minutes, finishing from an Alex Hunt assist. York's task was complicated when Jovan Malcolm was shown a straight red card in the 24th minute for a stray elbow on Lee Jenkins. Newport County manager Hayden Mullins made two changes to the starting eleven that beat Colchester United, bringing in Yahya Bamba and Tanatswa Nyakuhwa.
Etete, introduced as a substitute at half-time, levelled the scores nine minutes into the second half. The striker met a Nyakuhwa cross to open his account for County. "Kion Etete managed to grab an equaliser early into the second half to open his account for County," the club's match report said.
Newport County pressed for a winner against the ten men, with Shaquille Gwengwe seeing a header crash against the crossbar from a Cameron Norman long throw. Tanatswa Nyakuhwa also forced a save with a volley early in the second period. Despite dominating possession and racking up 17 shots, the Exiles could not find a second goal.
The point leaves Newport County 11th in the League Two standings, with 14 points from their opening 11 games. They are now just one point outside the playoff places. Their recent form reads two wins and three draws from the last five fixtures, a sequence that includes a 1-0 win over Colchester on Saturday 10 October and a 2-2 draw with Plymouth on Tuesday 6 October. The team has scored 14 goals and conceded 13 this season, giving them a goal difference of plus one, and they now sit eight points behind league leaders Salford City.
Hayden Mullins' side now turn their attention to a trip to face Rotherham United on Tuesday night. Rotherham, who sit 23rd, will provide the next test in a busy week. The fixture at New York Stadium kicks off at 19:45.
