If ever a game was going to end goalless, this was it – except it didn’t, all because of the award of a dodgy penalty!
Steve Evans made two changes for Rovers visit to Shrewsbury and a ground on which Fabrizio Cavegn scored a hat trick last time around. Ellis Harrison and the suspended Tommy Leigh missed out and their places were taken by Bobby Kamwa and Richie Smallwood.
In all honesty this was a very poor game with very few goalmouth incidents of any kind, though Brad Young needed to be alert to touch an early George Lloyd effort over the bar while a shot from Will Boyle was blocked by a packed Rovers defence.
Rovers should have gone ahead midway through the first half when a diagonal ball was played out to Clinton Mola on the edge of the area, but his powerful shot drifted wide of the upright. Shrewsbury thought they had won a penalty when Lloyd was bundled off the ball, but referee Ben Toner simply allowed play to continue and we headed into the break with no indication as to which team might break the deadlock.
The second half was as scrappy as the first until the 77th minute and just when it seemed the spoils would be shared, the home side were awarded a penalty for something only Mr Toner saw. As the ball came into the box, Joe Quigly appeared to put his hand on Boyle’s shoulder and the Shrewsbury player fell like the proverbial sack of spuds.
Apparently, it was their first penalty in 70 games and it was duly converted by Lloyd. That wasn’t quite the end of the drama, though, as Mr Toner tried to even things up by brandishing red cards in the direction of Shrewsbury’s Jay Turner-Cooke and Isaac Fletcher.
It was too late, really, for Rovers to take advantage of their numerical superiority, though Fabrizio Cavegn might have equalised late on when he found himself with only goalkeeper Will Brook to beat, but shot tamely at the grateful shot stopper.
‘I think the game was a poor game even by League Two standards. It was two teams that were battling; they’re battling for a win, we’re battling for an away win. I think we just looked off in the first half; we made some changes. I think we’re the better team in the second half without making chances, but we commanded a bit more of the ball, kept more of the ball. We never made the goalkeeper make a save really until Fabrizio Cavegn had an effort which he probably should have scored. It’s a clear strike at goal. Other than that, we huffed, and we puffed.
‘We’re struggling in terms of our personnel, aren’t we? We couldn’t get Ellis Harrison on the pitch today because he was feeling his foot after Saturday and then again yesterday in training. We travelled and put him on the bench, hoping that medically the guys could get him ready to go on the pitch. But I asked him throughout the game, and he still said he was feeling sore in the warmup, so that rules that out.
‘We’re missing some seriously big players, but in saying that, we’ve still got enough good players out there to be winning these types of games. You can’t turn up and, if six or seven lads are not playing anywhere near the potential of what they can deliver, we’ve seen when you do that, you lose. Rovers Manager Steve Evans
‘We’re probably in there thinking we don’t deserve to come away with a loss. At least we deserved a point. Obviously, the away form hasn’t been good, and it needs to be sorted out quickly, but everyone’s in there disappointed because we all didn’t think we deserved to come away with a loss.
‘I think, for the most part, we did defend well. Obviously, compared to other away games, it wasn’t hard to be better, but that was a lot better, and I think we defended well up until that decision. At that point, we’re going forward, we’re pushing everyone up, they’re down to nine men, and we’re pushing on. But at the same time, we’re throwing balls into the box, and the same thing’s happening, and it’s not being given. You can sit here and blame the ref all you want, but at the end of the day, it’s down to us, and we didn’t take our chances.”
‘It does come down to us, and I don’t think there’s anyone in there that’s just letting it go by. There’s no one in there that doesn’t feel hurt getting beat. Everyone feels it. As I said, between us, something has to click and change ASAP because, you know, we can’t keep doing this., Rovers defender Kofi Balmer
‘First and foremost, I am so proud of my players for their attitude and the way we’ve worked. Our performances have been really consistent and that’s three wins and two draws in six now, so I’m really proud of the players today and everything we asked of them they did well.’
‘I’m not actually sure about the penalty that we got, and maybe because of how long it had been the first one we got was going to be like that! But the one in the first half was definitely a penalty, and I think that’s four in the last four games that have been stonewall. In terms of the red cards, I haven’t seen the second one (Fletcher) back yet – it felt a bit soft but I have spoken to the referee and he said it was late and high, so I have to respect that. For Cookie, it’s a sending off. He was trying to get back in and has taken one for the team really.’ Shrewsbury Boss Gavin Cowan
If ever a game was going to end goalless, this was it – except it didn’t, all because of the award of a dodgy penalty!
Steve Evans made two changes for Rovers visit to Shrewsbury and a ground on which Fabrizio Cavegn scored a hat trick last time around. Ellis Harrison and the suspended Tommy Leigh missed out and their places were taken by Bobby Kamwa and Richie Smallwood.
In all honesty this was a very poor game with very few goalmouth incidents of any kind, though Brad Young needed to be alert to touch an early George Lloyd effort over the bar while a shot from Will Boyle was blocked by a packed Rovers defence.
Rovers should have gone ahead midway through the first half when a diagonal ball was played out to Clinton Mola on the edge of the area, but his powerful shot drifted wide of the upright. Shrewsbury thought they had won a penalty when Lloyd was bundled off the ball, but referee Ben Toner simply allowed play to continue and we headed into the break with no indication as to which team might break the deadlock.
The second half was as scrappy as the first until the 77th minute and just when it seemed the spoils would be shared, the home side were awarded a penalty for something only Mr Toner saw. As the ball came into the box, Joe Quigly appeared to put his hand on Boyle’s shoulder and the Shrewsbury player fell like the proverbial sack of spuds.
Apparently, it was their first penalty in 70 games and it was duly converted by Lloyd. That wasn’t quite the end of the drama, though, as Mr Toner tried to even things up by brandishing red cards in the direction of Shrewsbury’s Jay Turner-Cooke and Isaac Fletcher.
It was too late, really, for Rovers to take advantage of their numerical superiority, though Fabrizio Cavegn might have equalised late on when he found himself with only goalkeeper Will Brook to beat, but shot tamely at the grateful shot stopper.
‘I think the game was a poor game even by League Two standards. It was two teams that were battling; they’re battling for a win, we’re battling for an away win. I think we just looked off in the first half; we made some changes. I think we’re the better team in the second half without making chances, but we commanded a bit more of the ball, kept more of the ball. We never made the goalkeeper make a save really until Fabrizio Cavegn had an effort which he probably should have scored. It’s a clear strike at goal. Other than that, we huffed, and we puffed.
‘We’re struggling in terms of our personnel, aren’t we? We couldn’t get Ellis Harrison on the pitch today because he was feeling his foot after Saturday and then again yesterday in training. We travelled and put him on the bench, hoping that medically the guys could get him ready to go on the pitch. But I asked him throughout the game, and he still said he was feeling sore in the warmup, so that rules that out.
‘We’re missing some seriously big players, but in saying that, we’ve still got enough good players out there to be winning these types of games. You can’t turn up and, if six or seven lads are not playing anywhere near the potential of what they can deliver, we’ve seen when you do that, you lose. Rovers Manager Steve Evans
‘We’re probably in there thinking we don’t deserve to come away with a loss. At least we deserved a point. Obviously, the away form hasn’t been good, and it needs to be sorted out quickly, but everyone’s in there disappointed because we all didn’t think we deserved to come away with a loss.
‘I think, for the most part, we did defend well. Obviously, compared to other away games, it wasn’t hard to be better, but that was a lot better, and I think we defended well up until that decision. At that point, we’re going forward, we’re pushing everyone up, they’re down to nine men, and we’re pushing on. But at the same time, we’re throwing balls into the box, and the same thing’s happening, and it’s not being given. You can sit here and blame the ref all you want, but at the end of the day, it’s down to us, and we didn’t take our chances.”
‘It does come down to us, and I don’t think there’s anyone in there that’s just letting it go by. There’s no one in there that doesn’t feel hurt getting beat. Everyone feels it. As I said, between us, something has to click and change ASAP because, you know, we can’t keep doing this., Rovers defender Kofi Balmer
‘First and foremost, I am so proud of my players for their attitude and the way we’ve worked. Our performances have been really consistent and that’s three wins and two draws in six now, so I’m really proud of the players today and everything we asked of them they did well.’
‘I’m not actually sure about the penalty that we got, and maybe because of how long it had been the first one we got was going to be like that! But the one in the first half was definitely a penalty, and I think that’s four in the last four games that have been stonewall. In terms of the red cards, I haven’t seen the second one (Fletcher) back yet – it felt a bit soft but I have spoken to the referee and he said it was late and high, so I have to respect that. For Cookie, it’s a sending off. He was trying to get back in and has taken one for the team really.’ Shrewsbury Boss Gavin Cowan
A FEW FACTS
