Bristol Live brings you a full transcript of Bristol Rovers manager Steve Evans' post-Shrewsbury Town interview

Bristol Rovers suffered a third consecutive defeat in League Two, losing 1-0 away at Shrewsbury Town on Saturday afternoon, thanks to a George Lloyd penalty in the 77th minute. The decision to give a spot-kick to the hosts was a controversial one, with Joe Quigley penalised for a slight pull on Will Boyle in the box from a wide free-kick.

The defeat means the Gas stay ninth in the fourth tier, but the gap to the automatic promotion places has increased to six points. Meanwhile, Rovers' troubles on the road this season continue, with five league losses away from home so far in the 2026/27 campaign.

Here is a full transcript of everything manager Steve Evans said to local media, in which he discussed the referee's decision to award the Shrews a penalty, the shift to a 4-3-3 formation, the ongoing issues on the road, and Tuesday night's game against the league leaders, Salford City.

Steve, that must have been a difficult watch.

"Yeah, I think the game was a poor game, wasn't it? Even by League Two standards, it was two teams that are battling - they're battling for a win - we're battling for an away win.

"We just looked off it first-half. We made some changes. I think we're the better team in the second half without making chances, but we've commanded a bit more of the ball, kept more of the ball.

"Then we've just watched an absolute disgusting decision. I just looked at it back. It's just absolutely disgusting. We're getting this week on week now, so we just wonder what it's about, because we have last week confirmed that people should be sent off.

"Last week, we had confirmed that we should have penalties, and we shouldn't have penalties against us, and you look at that one today, and it's just got no place in football.

"And I can remember John Coleman - a good man said once that the referees make him feel like giving the game up.

"We've had it week after week now. And I'm fed up listening to the head of referees apologise. And you get fed up ringing them on a Saturday and Sunday."

So, we were watching the ball, the ball's come in and you've seen the replay. What was it that happened?

"Nothing. First and foremost, he's offside. He's offside from the set-play coming in. And, you see yourself, he falls to his knees, and he gives a penalty.

"It's just an utter disgusting decision from a referee who I thought, it was about him today, rather than, well, he's probably the better of the three teams, because us and Shrewsbury were poor."

And at 0-0, you'd still have been frustrated, if the game finished that way without the decision, because your team had glimpses, but not what we saw earlier in the season.

"Yeah, listen, we never made the goalkeeper make a save, really, did we? Until Fab's effort, which he probably should score. It's a clear strike at goal.

"Other than that, we've huffed, and we've puffed. We've not made a chance, so I've got no excuse about our performance, but I've been saying for a long, long time: decisions and goals change games. I've maintained that all my career. That's just a disgusting decision.

"And he'll go away and think no more about it, like the referee last week, who goes away and thinks no more about it. The week before, they go away and think no more about it. We have to live with it."

So how do you get yourself out of the hole that you've ended up with another away defeat?

"Well, 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 warm-up, 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."

Confidence is such a big thing in football. At the moment, it seems, if not rock bottom, then it's not where it should be.

"Well, it is rock bottom in terms of what the boys are always having to endure. We're watching [a] horrendous run of decisions, big decisions, that are just terrible, absolutely terrible decisions.

"They'll say the two red cards, the two red cards should get six games each. They're shocking challenges, both of them. So, I've got no complaints with that.

"But even in added time, we had eight or nine minutes to make the goalkeeper work and we never."

So it's back to the training ground, and the hard work, because the only way you change it is by getting a result, hopefully on Tuesday.

"And we play what many people say is the big team in the league. They're certainly the big spenders. Everyone talks about the quality they've got. We're going to be fully tested, aren't we?

"But we're in this situation where we need to put our best 11 on the pitch and ask our supporters to be the 12th man. I thought they were great today. I thought they were right behind us even when we went one down."

"They're probably looking down the pitch, saying, they don't know if it's a penalty, because they're a long way away. I had to look at the video. I didn't see anything when I looked at the video. I just thought it was such an atrocious, atrocious thing to call."

Is this when you need those leaders in your squad to really step up and find a way to get some kind of result, ideally on Tuesday?

"We need everyone to stand up - myself, the staff. You know, because we're not doing our jobs, ultimately, if that's the situation, we need our supporters to stand up and be with us. That's why they're called supporters.

"I see a few of them there, having a pop at one or two of the lads, and, yeah, the performances away from home have been poor, but, listen, it's a long season, and you're never successful if you're gonna divide."

Steve, I just want to ask you about Ciarán Kelly. He obviously went down and had to come off. How is he?

"Cramp, cramp. So, it's just another one that we had to bring off the pitch. You can see how stretched we are, then, Will. I think I said to you yesterday, with some of your listeners, and then you lose Ellis and him feeling his foot yesterday and today, and then you're losing Ciarán.

"They're all big players, and if you lose your big players, you end up playing with players that are not going to be winning you lots of points in this league."

Obviously, both teams struggled to create chances today, but defensively, you shifted to more of a narrow 4-3-3, and you looked better, didn't you?

"Yeah, I thought we were better, listen. I think second half, when we made the changes, Will, we're in command of the game, if there's a commanding team in the game. What you can't just allow for is, I've always said it, goals change games. It's 15 minutes to go, and he gives a decision like that.

"And what will he get? He'll get a 'You got that wrong,' so I learn from it, and he'll earn his 150 grand a year. It's just a disgrace. The referees are getting shocking to worse. That's the facts.

"I understand the frustrations that Mike Jones and Howard Webb have, but they need to get a grip on it, because seriously, John Coleman was absolutely right. He said that a few years ago. It will make you walk away, because what you're watching is just unfair, if you're us. Unfair.

"And then I'll have to question and take out the question in my head, is, are they doing it? Are they doing it to us deliberately? I have to take that question out of my head, but it's a question I'll ask myself going home because that's another one."

There's not many games in League Two where you'll probably be the underdogs. How do you utilise that on Tuesday to sort of get the home crowd involved in the game?

"The home crowd know the money that Salford have spent. You only need to look at the players they've signed.

"They've signed the pick, they've picked the best players, and many managers who've played them this season and lost to them have said, they've picked the best players, and they've gone and brought them in, haven't they?

"They've paid them big wages. We know. We had two in our training ground for talks. When you're talking about trebling wages, then you have to understand why those boys would decide to go there.

"You know, they've got a lack of fans, they've got a lack of everything at the football club, in terms of facilities, everything else, but people don't judge you on that.

"They judge you on results on the pitch, and the recruitment of Gary [Neville], and all the team below Gary at Salford have done a great job in putting that squad together."

And just on the striker situation. I mean, you've got three out-and-out strikers here today - Rijks and Omochere on loan. Is there a potential shortage in that area to you, or not?

"Well, no, we can also put Shaq there at one point. Shaq's come on there and been very good for us. You know, the option was to play with a front three. Bobby Kamwa was stunning in training yesterday, but he wasn't stunning in the game today. He didn't do a lot today, Bobby.

"He worked incredibly hard for the team, but he didn't do a lot. Shaq was our brightest spark for me in the game. First-half and second half, and we tried to create creativity.

"People are probably saying in 10 minutes why we brought Arvin in. He's got some mobility. We need to get him up to speed, but listen, I'll always go back to confidence, certainly away from home, and I'll go back to the boys feeling an injustice.

"What do you think my players are sitting in the dressing room thinking about that penalty, Will? You'll see it tonight, and you'll call it laughable.

"When you watch it back, you might not put that in your written report because you're here now. But you'll go back, and you look at that, and you'll go laughable, laughable.

"Because if you think it's not laughable, what do you think the referee's done it for? I can't say the word. It's true."