Football Rovers boss Evans rues poor defending in Mem defeat

STEVE

- Will MURRAY

Shaq Forde, left, celebrates his second goal in Rovers' defeat to Chesterfield

(Picture: Kara Thomas/Pinnacle)

Evans said there was “not a lot in the game apart from a poor referee for both sides” following Bristol Rovers’ 3-2 defeat against Chesterfield at the Memorial Stadium.Shaq Forde and Tom Naylor scored braces for either side, before James Berry tucked home the winner in the 78th minute to give Paul Cook's side the three points. The Rovers head coach criticised the performance of referee Matthew Russell, who was inconsistent for both teams.

The defeat leaves the Gas six points clear of the relegation zone, with Newport County and Harrogate Town both on 21 points, and brought to an end a two-game winning run.

Speaking about the defeat, Evans said: “Yeah, disappointed. Listen, I think the first 20 minutes we weren't on the pitch, were we? We're probably still in the training ground. We didn’t look at it. Chesterfield could have been a couple up. Brad has a really good save and a block with his leg. And I put that really down to last Saturday and Tuesday. I think we said on Thursday and Friday, when we had the boys back on the training ground, we looked just a yard off, we looked mentally tired, not physically, mentally.