Port Vale increased the pressure on underfire Stockport boss Carlton Palmer when they grabbed their first point in six games during an entertaining encounter at Edgeley Park.
But the 1-1 draw did little to ease the relegation fears of both clubs who remain involved in the second division relegation battle.
Ben Burgess opened the scoring on the half hour for the home side from the penalty spot after Steve Rowland had been shown the red card for using his arm to keep out Jim Goodwin's goalbound header.
County ought to have increased their lead after dominating the first half during which they forced seven corners.
Kevin Ellison, County's man-of-the-match, and Ali Gibb kept providing a constant supply of crosses but Luke Beckett, Burgess and James Goodwin all failed to turn them into goals.
Vale offered very little in return as the front pairing of Steve Brooker and Stephen McPhee suffered from a lack of service.
The home side continued to dominate after the break although they were unable to match the tempo of the first half.
And once Kevin Ellison had been replaced, County looked increasingly vulnerable in midfield.
The game turned on 70 minutes when Stephen Brooker received the ball with his back to the goal, turned the defence and lashed home a shot from the edge of the box past the despairing dive of Lee Jones.
County poured forward in search of the winner and looked to have found it eight minutes from time but Burgess crashed his shot on to the bar from six yards.
The crowd vented their anger at the home side - it was not the first time this season that Stockport have been booed off at Edgeley Park.