{"id":668045,"date":"2026-01-02T02:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T02:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/668045\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T02:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T02:14:23","slug":"bristol-rovers-player-ratings-as-gas-start-2026-with-3-0-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/668045\/","title":{"rendered":"Bristol Rovers player ratings as Gas start 2026 with 3-0 win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bristol Rovers beat Shrewsbury Town 3-0 in Steve Evans’ fourth game as head coach – here’s how we rated the players<\/p>\n

21:44, 01 Jan 2026Updated 21:44, 01 Jan 2026<\/p>\n

(Image: Michael Zemanek\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

Bristol Rovers<\/a> secured their first league victory since September, thanks to a 3-0 win against Shrewsbury Town at The Croud Meadow.<\/p>\n

Fabrizio Cavegn’s second half hat-trick secured a much-needed three points for the Gas, lifting them four points above the League Two<\/a> relegation zone.<\/p>\n

Bristol Live’s Bristol Rovers writer Will Murray gives his verdict and ratings on the Gas players…<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Bristol Rovers end winless run in style with Fabrizio Cavegn hat-trick<\/a>READ MORE: \u2018This is better than the Maldives\u2019 – Steve Evans reflects on first Bristol Rovers win as head coach<\/a>Luke Southwood – 7.5<\/p>\n

Made an important save two minutes after half-time to deny John Marquis and kept his first clean sheet in the league since the 1-0 away win against Grimsby Town.<\/p>\n

Joel Senior – 8<\/p>\n

Joel Senior returned to the squad on Monday against Barnet and was solid during his cameo. I thought he gave Rovers much more balance in attack against Michael Appleton’s side, as there has been too much reliance on Jack Sparkes for attacking creativity on the flanks in recent weeks. He defended well and put the ball on a plate for Cavegn to complete his hat-trick in the 93rd minute.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sign up for our Rovers newsletter<\/p>\n

Bristol Rovers have Steve Evans now in charge as they look to battle push up the League Two table – and you won’t miss a beat with our free newsletter.<\/p>\n

All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Gas, delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n

It’s completely free and you can sign up HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

Kacper Lopata – (off for Taylor Moore, 46′) – 7<\/p>\n

Kacper Lopata came back into the starting eleven for the first time since his red card against Swindon Town. Despite some shaky moments in the first-half, he helped the Gas secure the three points and an overdue clean sheet during his 45-minute cameo.<\/p>\n

Alfie Kilgour – 7.5<\/p>\n

Alfie Kilgour has impressed under Steve Evans in the new head coach’s four games in charge. He led the backline superbly and was unlucky not to help Rovers win a penalty in the first-half when he headed it towards Cavegn from a free-kick, who was fouled in the box, only for the Swiss striker to be flagged for offside. A captain’s display from the Rovers number five.<\/p>\n

Jack Sparkes – 7<\/p>\n

A typical Sparkes performance in terms of him being solid in defence and dangerous out wide with his left-footed delivery. Not as impactful as he was against Bromley, for example, but that can be attributed to Senior’s impact on the other side.<\/p>\n

Tom Lockyer – 8<\/p>\n

To return to the starting lineup and play in an unfamiliar position was certainly a big test for Tom Lockyer, but it was one he stood up to. He added a much-needed physicality and intensity off the ball for Rovers in the middle of the pitch, allowing Kamil Conteh and Joel Cotterill freedom to roam in front of him.<\/p>\n

(Image: Michael Zemanek\/Shutterstock)Kamil Conteh – 8<\/p>\n

Conteh was brilliant today. He picked up so many loose balls and was a threat going forward as well. A highlight in the first-half came in the 33rd minute when he did brilliantly to flick the ball onto Luke Thomas, which nearly created a chance for Cavegn to score past Will Brook.<\/p>\n

Joel Cotterill – (off for Alfie Chang, 50) – 7<\/p>\n

Cotterill was taken off in the 51st minute, with Alfie Chang replacing him. It wasn’t his most impactful game in a Rovers shirt, but he linked up with Conteh well occasionally and he has shown himself to be a valuable player for the Gas. He can continue to be an asset for the remaining months of the season, especially in a midfield three.<\/p>\n

Shaq Forde – 8<\/p>\n

What a way to respond to his red card against Bromley. Shaq Forde absolutely tormented the Shrewsbury defence throughout, setting up Cavegn’s first and creating numerous chances, especially in the second half. His partnership with the Swiss striker was particularly impressive, and he rewarded Evans’ faith in him with a brilliant display.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bristol Rovers Live on Whatsapp<\/p>\n

Join Bristol Rovers Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol Rovers stories sent straight to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol Rovers Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n

Through the app, we\u2019ll send the Bristol Rovers news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n

To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n

We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.<\/p>\n

To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose \u2018Exit group\u2019.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n

Click here to join our WhatsApp community.<\/a><\/p>\n

Luke Thomas – 7.5<\/p>\n

Thomas combined well with the likes of Cavegn and Forde, including when he backheeled the ball into the path of the hat-trick hero in the 61st minute, only for the shot to hit the side-netting. He looks comfortable on either flank and is a useful player for Evans, who is still working out his best team.<\/p>\n

Fabrizio Cavegn – (off for Ellis Harrison, 90+3) – 9<\/p>\n

Cavegn scored three, and it could have been more. He was a thorn in Shrewsbury’s defence, holding the ball up well and running at them with pace consistently. All three of his goals were extremely well taken, and it seems that the 23-year-old is rediscovering his early-season goalscoring form.<\/p>\n

\"FabrizioFabrizio Cavegn of Bristol Rovers celebrates after the match(Image: Michael Zemanek\/Shutterstock)Substitutes:Taylor Moore – 7<\/p>\n

Came on for Lopata at half-time and was very solid. Did everything that you could have asked for in the situation and played a big part in keeping Shrewsbury out in the second half.<\/p>\n

Alfie Chang – 7<\/p>\n

A typical Chang performance, with a lot of energy, while keeping the ball ticking and allowing the likes of Forde and Cavegn to thrive ahead of him.<\/p>\n

Ellis Harrison – N\/AREAD MORE: Isaac Hutchinson: ‘I want to see out the season here’ as recall decision looms<\/a>\"\"\/<\/p>\n

OPINION<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bristol Rovers beat Shrewsbury Town 3-0 in Steve Evans’ fourth game as head coach – here’s how we…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668046,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,10648,2707,748,393,82550,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-668045","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-bristol-live","10":"tag-bristol-rovers-fc","11":"tag-britain","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-football-league-2","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115823094464993999","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}