Substitute Jimmy Keohane scored an 84th-minute goal to give Exeter City recorded their third-straight.
The 2-1 victory, against league leaders Bury, lifted City up to 17th in the table and also gave the long-suffering home crowd their first victory to cheer at St James's Park this season.
However, Bury will feel hard done to not to have got at least a point from the game having responded to Matt Grimes' early goal well and fought their way back onto level terms in the second half.
City manager Paul Tisdale made two changes to the side that had beaten Tranmere Rovers so comfortably a week earlier.
David Wheeler and Craig Woodman both failed late fitness tests and had to be content with a place on the bench, while Danny Butterfield came in for his first start in seven and Scot Bennett returned having been ruled out of the win at Prenton Park with a knee injury.
Former Grecian Daniel Nardiello got the first sight of goal as he was played in on the right side of the box, but as he checked back onto his left foot Butterfield stood tall to get a telling block on his effort.
City took the lead on five minutes as Alex Nicholls was tripped 20 yards from goal. Grimes stepped up to curl left-foot free-kick over the wall and into the top right corner of the net.
Arron Davies then almost provided a better strike on 17 minutes as the ball dropped to him 25-yards out, but his first-time half-volley flew past the top right corner of the goal.
Bury went up the other end and worked an opening as Danny Mayor skipped past one challenge on the edge of the six-yard box and cut the ball back for Nicky Adams to try and tap home, but he couldn't sort his feet out in time and Oakley booted clear.
Oakley, who had another commanding display at centre-half, was assured and calm in possession but also in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions to rescue City.
Bury continued to pose a threat in the first half, especially down the right, as Nardiello drilled a shot towards the left hand corner of the goal. Pym stood tall though to block the effort and Oakley was there again to mop up the danger.
Nardiello then turned provider as he slid a ball into Lowe, but Pym produced a good one-handed save.
Pym had further saves to make in the first half as he caught a Lowe header and then dived at the feet of two Bury attackers as Adams delivered low cross into the box.
Pym's continued bravery then got him into trouble moments later as he dived at the feet of an offside Lowe to prevent the striker getting on the end of a through-ball. He got a nasty cut and a bandage around his head for his effort.
The pressure continued to mount in the second half as Bury kept on pressing after the break and were rewarded 14 minutes into the second half as Tom Soares picked the ball up 30 yards out, took a step forward and drilled a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.
City's hit back as Nicholls hit an effort from the edge of the box that Lainton beat away, but the home side were sitting deep and attracting trouble.
So it was Pym to the rescue again with 20 minutes left as he went sprawling across his goal to get a hand to Duane Holmes' long range strike. Then with 15 minutes to go he dived to his right to keep Bennett from putting the ball into the back of his own net.
Then with about 10 minutes to go City came to life again. Nicholls flashed a shot wide of the left hand post and then Liam Sercombe and Tom Nichols combined to put in Jimmy Keohane, but the substitute hit a weak effort at goal that was comfortably saved by Lainton.
Moments later Keohane had the ball in the back of the net though as Grimes cross the ball into the six-yard box. Moore-Taylor jumped to put Lainton under pressure and the keeper fumbled the ball into the path of Keohane who tucked the ball home from close range.
The goal will no doubt give the player, who has struggled to recreate the form he showed in pre-season, and City a massive lift.
Exeter City (5-2-3): Butterfield (Nichols, 73), Ribeiro, Oakley, Moore-Taylor, Davies, Sercombe, Grimes, Cummins (Keohane, 73), Nicholls, Bennett ©. Subs not used: Hamon, Keohane, Dawson, Nichols, Wheeler, Riley-Lowe, Tillson.
Bury (5-3-2): Lainton, Jones, Cameron, Mills (Platt, 89), McNulty ©, Mayor, Etuthu, Soares, Adams (Holmes, 45), Lowe, Nardiello (Rose, 56). Subs not used: Jalal, Tutte, Hussey, Sedgwick, Platt.
Booked: Mayor (45)
Referee: Stuart Atwell
Attendance: 3,215 (254 away)
