Grays were cruelly denied their first home win in three games by an injury-time strike from Exeter full back Billy Jones.
Jones rifled home the Grecians' equaliser in the 92nd minute to deny Blues a morale-boosting victory after an improved showing that pleased boss Frank Gray.
Gray said: "I'm delighted with the response from the boys. That was a 100 per cent better performance than Saturday's loss to Morecambe. It's as well as we have played at home all season and I think the crowd enjoyed seeing us play a bit of football.
"Obviously we are disappointed to concede in the last minute but it was a much improved performance. Their first shot on target went in but before that we could have two or three ourselves.
"We turned it around in the second half and we felt we had done enough to win it."
Gray was true to his pre-match word and rang the changes for the game with Adam Green, Glenn Poole and Lee Boylan all paying the price for a number of disappointing performances that culminated in Saturday's abysmal 1-0 defeat to Morecambe.
Jay Smith, Tom Williamson and Jamie Slabber were the men coming in for the home side - the latter two making their first starts of the season - as Gray tinkered with his system as well as personnel.
Smith's recall after three games out saw Grays switch to three at the back with Williamson coming into the midfield and Jamie Slabber up front.
Gray revealed he plumped on the formation to try and encourage his side to pass the ball through midfield more and though it wasn't hard to improve that aspect of their game after the Morecambe defeat, there was certainly a marked improvement.
Of the personnel changes Slabber looked fit, hungry and capped an impressive performance with a fantastic goal, Williamson kept things ticking over and Smith was steady if unspectacular at the back.
The one down-side to the system was the positioning of Michael Kightly at left wing-back which seems a waste of his exuberant attacking talent.
Kightly was released from the shackles of the position 15 minutes before the end of the game and almost immediately created what we thought was the winner for Aaron McLean with 11 minutes to go only for Jones's injury time strike to cancel it out.
Nevertheless the system looked encouraging enough and it seems like one the Blues fans will become familiar with at the New Rec over the remainder of the season.
McLean almost ensured the new system got off to the best possible start when he came agonisingly close to scoring after just 12 minutes.
Smith's crafty chip forward was flicked on by Slabber for McLean who unleashed a stunning volley that pinged against the base of the post.
McLean went close again 10 minutes later when he scampered on to a slide-rule pass from Kightly and forced Grecians keeper Martin Rice into a hurried save at his near post.
Blues' best chance of the half came six minutes before the break when Rice made a right hash of Kightly's corner and allowed Sangare a clear header at goal.
The big Frenchmen did everything right but was denied by an athletic clearance off the line by Andrew Taylor. The ball then fell at the feet of Jamie Stuart who volleyed into the ground and watched as his strike bounced off the top of the cross bar.
Exeter punished Grays for their profligacy a minute later when Jon Challinor capitalised on some defensive hesitancy to fire crisply past Ashley Bayes into the bottom corner.
The goal was a bolt out of the blue for the visitors who had threatened just once before netting when Taylor's half-volley was comfortably saved by Bayes.
But the goal proved a real shot in the arm and they should have doubled their advantage a minute before the interval when Smith's slip allowed Adam Stansfield a clear-run at goal but Bayes came to his centre back's rescue and made a brilliant save to deny the ex-Hereford man.
Grays came out for the second half with renewed vigour and got their just rewards seven minutes after the re-start.
Slabber found himself in a yard of space mid-way inside the Exeter half and made good ground before feeding Andy Sambrook who was over-lapping down the right like a steam train.
The ex-Rushden and Diamonds man's delivery matched his enterprising run and there was Slabber to nod into the bottom corner.
Grays continued to turn the screw and Stuart came close to turning deficit into profit when he ghosted in at the back post to meet Kightly's free kick but Rice was on hand to turn his stab at goal wide.
It wasn't all one way traffic though and Grecians full back Danny Woodwards tested Bayes with a fierce drive after a mazy run down the right.
But Grays edged in front 11 minutes before the end when Kightly, restored to his favoured right wing position got to the by-line and squared for McLean who despite a heavy first touch fired into the bottom corner.
But the visitors weren't to be denied and after a sustained spell of late pressure that saw Taylor go close with a rasping free kick, Jones was Johnny-on-the-spot to fire into the bottom corner after being teed up by Phillips.
By Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the report.
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