The main talking points from Bristol Rovers' 1-0 defeat against Shrewsbury Town

Another away game. Another defeat. That's six defeats in seven on the road for Bristol Rovers in all competitions so far this season.

The latest defeat means the Gas are still ninth in League Two, but after three straight defeats, they're closer in points to the bottom two than the automatic promotion places. Of course, it's early and Rovers are still in touch with the main contenders, but there are obvious concerns with the recent results, especially the performances when this team plays away from home.

Steve Evans tried a different formation at the Croud Meadow, and defensively they were improved, but a dubious penalty given against them in the 77th minute proved to be the difference in a game bereft of quality, which left more questions than answers from the visitors' perspective.

With that said, here are the main talking points from Rovers' 1-0 defeat against the Shrews...

OPINION

Why did the referee give a penalty?

This is a question I've been asking myself ever since I first watched the replay of the penalty incident in the 77th minute. When you watch it back, Will Boyle applauds the referee for giving a spot-kick after feeling the slightest of shirt pulls from Joe Quigley in the box. It is telling, however, that none of the Shrewsbury players in the box, alongside Boyle, appeal for a penalty.

To cut a long story short, it's extremely soft. Yes, there was contact, but it was extremely minimal, and given the number of shirt pulls elsewhere on the pitch that the referee did not give, it felt bizarre that he deemed this one a foul in the box, especially with the game on such a knife-edge.

I, like almost everyone reading this article, will be extremely tired of debates regarding refereeing decisions, and this is in a league that doesn't even have VAR.

Evans did not hold back in his criticism of the man in the middle, Ben Toner, telling Bristol Live: "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."

Explaining Steve Evans' tactical changes before and during the game

Away from the decisive moment, Rovers created very little, and their only shot on target came in the 96th minute when Will Brook easily saved Fabrizio Cavegn's effort from inside the box.

Before Saturday, no side in League Two had conceded more goals than the Gas; granted, other teams had played one game fewer. Still, 17 goals conceded in 10 matches is nowhere near good enough for a team looking to win promotion come May, and as a result, something had to change.

Rovers switched to a 4-3-3, with three out-and-out midfielders, two wingers, and Cavegn as the lone striker. The visitors looked far more solid and gave up only 0.15xG in open play. In truth, the Shrews looked most likely to score from a set-piece and came close on a few occasions.

Despite the defensive solidity, Evans' side were extremely blunt in attack, and patterns in the final third were hard to see, if not non-existent at times.

Shaq Forde picked up some nice positions, combining well with Cavegn, but these instances were rare. It was far more common for Rovers defenders or midfielders to clip hopeful long balls forward to the isolated front three, who were often too far away from each other.

My big criticism of Rovers' attacking approach on the road has been the team's ball retention. Making the game frantic and end-to-end with a physical striker - usually Ellis Harrison - works at The Mem, with the 12th man behind them. Away from home - I'm not sure it does.

Surrendering possession far too easily and giving the ball back only gives the home crowd encouragement, and often puts Rovers under unnecessary pressure.

There were periods in the game when the likes of Keenan Gough, Clinton Mola, Forde, and even Arvin Appiah played incisive passes to one another, but diagonal balls towards Quigley or the Swiss striker, with nobody close enough to them for a knock-down, were far more frequent.

You can talk about tactics and formations all you want, and Rovers shifted to a front two in the second half when Quigley and Appiah came on the pitch.

The reality is, though, that if you don't look after the ball, especially away from home, you'll find it hard to quieten down the home faithful, as the Gas have found out far too often this season.

Players struggling to maintain form from the second half of last season

Evans' tactical approach has been inconsistent since August, with Rovers struggling to settle on a specific formation or style of play that suits them.

While the Scotsman hasn't been able to mastermind positive results as consistently as he did in the second half of last season, it is important to note that players who were key to Evans' upturn in form in the previous campaign have struggled to maintain those levels so far this term.

From the end of the January transfer window until the final day of the 2025/26 season, no team picked up more points than Rovers in League Two, and the likes of Brad Young, Kofi Balmer, Riley Harbottle, Richie Smallwood, Joe Quigley, Mola and Forde were integral to the team's success.

If you look at this list of players, you'd only say that Balmer and Mola have resembled anything like the players they were from February to May 2025 since the start of this season.

Young's shot-stopping has flattered to deceive compared to other goalkeepers in League Two; Smallwood looks to have lost a bit of pace, which is understandable given his age, while Forde and Quigley remain without a goal in League Two.

Yes, Evans' team selections have been peculiar at times, and he should have made changes earlier last weekend, but the players need to step up as well.

There is plenty of time to change that, and Rovers are still in a positive position, but there needs to be a happy medium of the 63-year-old finding a winning formula and players improving their performance levels in the next few weeks.

The case for Arvin Appiah to start against Salford City

Appiah came on in the final 32 minutes, starting on the right wing before shifting to the other flank in the closing stages, cutting it back to Cavegn in the 96th minute, whose shot was easily saved. The 25-year-old was lively during his cameo - winning a couple of fouls, completing 14 out of 17 passes, and pushing the hosts back with his trickery from wide positions.

He was signed as someone with significant experience as a left-sided player, and his brightest sparks came on this wing against the Shrews. Bobby Kamwa started on the left of Rovers' front three on Saturday, though, and for the most part was ineffective.

With Salford the second match of a three-game week, Evans might look to rotate, and Appiah could be the perfect solution as an energetic, versatile option to help Ben Purrington, or whoever starts at left-back, to nullify the Ammies defensively, while also giving Rovers an out-ball on the counter attack.

The 4-3-3 gave Rovers a solid defensive platform, but as already mentioned, the attacking output was blunt. If Evans keeps this shape or switches to a 4-2-3-1 against the promotion favourites on Tuesday, Appiah for Kamwa would be one of the changes I would make.

Kamwa is also a player that I think would benefit from more space, as the game becomes more stretched, so he could be the perfect impact substitute, when Appiah inevitably tires given his lack of regular football since August.