NEWPORT County AFC frustrated Colchester United to earn a precious point on the road and end a run of three successive defeats in League Two.

Graham Westley will still inherit a team propping up the Football League but there were encouraging signs for the new boss at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

And with two games in hand he’ll be confident that his new team can climb the table quickly if they match this improved defensive display.

There were three changes from the Exiles’ last League Two match at Grimsby Town with Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, Darren Jones and Jennison Myrie-Williams coming in for Kyle Cameron, Mark Randall and Sean Rigg.

Defender Cameron was away with the Scotland under-21s but Randall, who was struggling with a hamstring strain, and Rigg dropped to the bench.

Caretaker boss Sean McCarthy also opted to switch formation from 4-4-2 to 5-3-2 with Paul Bignot in central defence alongside captain Scot Bennett and the returning Jones.

Barnum-Bobb and Dan Butler acted as wing-backs, with Myrie-Williams and Reece Grego-Cox either side of Ben Tozer in midfield.

That left Tozer with a lot of defensive work to do but County restricted the hosts to shots from distance in the first half, with Jones mopping up everything through the middle.

Joe Day saved from Sammie Szmodics and did well to keep out a Drey Wright volley at the far post before Craig Slater curled a free-kick wide.

Colchester’s best chance of the first period saw Wright clip the top of the bar from 25 yards.

At the other end County created little but Barnum-Bobb and Butler enjoyed the freedom to get forward.

Barnum-Bobb slipped in Grego-Cox early on and his snap shot was well held by Sam Walker.

The Colchester goalkeeper was less sure of his handling soon afterwards when he dropped a deep cross from Butler but County failed to punish the mistake.

Rhys Healey, who had a previous loan spell with the U’s, dragged a shot wide from the edge of the area and Jon Parkin saw a snapshot tipped over by Walker from a Myrie-Williams corner.

In truth it was a low quality contest that desperately needed a goal and both sides had big chances to break the deadlock in the opening minutes of the second half.

The dangerous Wright found Kurtis Guthrie with a cross from the right but he skewed his shot wide from six yards out.

The Exiles went on the attack and won a corner, which Grego-Cox delivered and Jones really should have done better with a header at the far post but it was narrowly off target.

McCarthy threw on Sean Rigg, Marlon Jackson and Jordan Green but there were no clear-cut chances until the final 10 minutes.

Rigg saw a shot blocked inside the area and from the rebound Green fired over the top from the right of the box.

And Walker plucked a Jackson header out of the air as it headed for the top corner two minutes from time.

Ultimately a point was a good result for the Exiles, however, and gives Westley something to build on.

County: Day, Butler, Bennett, Jones, Bignot, Barnum-Bobb, Myrie-Williams (Rigg, 69) Tozer, Grego-Cox (Green, 81), Parkin, Healey (Jackson, 75)

Subs not used: Bittner, Compton, Randall, Angel

Referee: Mark Haywood

Attendance: 3,088 (157 County)

Argus star man: Darren Jones