A crowd of 406, Newport’s third attendance above 400 at their new home welcomed former Southampton favourite Rickie Lambert, who helped officially open the ground alongside Club President Bob Foad and Chris Powell, and mother of Newport legend Darren Powell.

Newport made a bright start and took a deserved early lead when Joe Hancott crossed for Mikey Thompsett to bundle the ball home. It was a scrappy finish that set the tone for a contest short on flowing football.

The game changed after just 23 minutes when skipper Macauley Watterson received a straight red card following an altercation with a Kintbury player.

Newport were forced to rely more on the counter-attack but thought they had doubled their advantage when Ji Nash headed home from close range. The celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

Kintbury offered little threat during the remainder of the half, with Newport working hard to protect their lead despite the visitors’ numerical advantage.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Neither side found much rhythm, and frequent free-kicks disrupted the flow of the game.

As Newport began to tire, Kintbury persisted with long balls and set-pieces. Their pressure eventually brought a late equaliser, with Oliver Denner scrambled the ball home. It was every bit as untidy as Newport’s opener, but the visitors were happy to be level.

There was still time for Connor Kelly to threaten a winner, only for the Kintbury goalkeeper to block both of his late chances.

Having taken an early lead, Newport were understandably frustrated to finish with a draw. But after spending most of the afternoon a player short, their determination and hard work made this a thoroughly deserved point.