Exeter marked their return to the Football League with a 1-1 draw at Darlington.
Grecians hold their own back in League football
Exeter marked their return to the Football League after a five-year absence with a sterling performance that earned them a 1-1 draw at Darlington and showed that they may well become a force to be reckoned with this season.
The Quakers had the better of the opening half and after only three minutes midfielder Jason Kennedy struck the crossbar from 12 yards.
Loan signing Billy Clarke was then denied on three occasions by City keeper Paul Jones.
But the breakthrough came in the 40th minute when Clarke was brought down inside the area by George Friend. Darlington defender Rob Purdie drilled the resulting penalty beyond Jones to open the scoring.
Seconds from the interval former Sunderland striker Marcus Stewart should have equalised after a mistake by Purdie, but he directed his header off-target from a good position.
The visitors dominated the second half and on the hour defender Dan Seaborne headed in a Rob Edwards free-kick at the far post to earn a point.
