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

Bristol Rovers suffered a fourth straight League Two defeat on Tuesday night, losing 2-1 against Salford City at The Mem. It is the seventh defeat in their last eight matches across all competitions for the Gas, dropping them to 16th in the fourth tier.

Brendan Wiredu and Daniel Udoh gave the league leaders a two-goal lead within 20 minutes, but Rovers responded after the break with a Jack Sparkes free-kick in the 57th minute - a few minutes after Ellis Harrison had missed a penalty. The hosts pushed for the equaliser, but ultimately suffered their seventh league defeat since August.

Here is a full transcript of everything Steve Evans said to local media, in which the manager discussed Rovers' tactical preparations for the game, the poor run of form in the last eight games, and an update on the search for a new addition to the coaching staff.

Well, Steve, that was a proper game of two halves, that one.

"Yeah, listen, I think there is no doubt a conversation at half-time reflected how we gave them too much respect as players. We must have been, as a group of players, apprehensive going into the game, because it looked that way to me.

"It looked as if we were trying to overcover, and when you overcover, you give good players time, and if you give good players time, they'll hurt you. And the first goal is a fantastic goal - it's a fantastic strike. We should defend slightly better earlier.

"The second goal, he should never score. He runs Sparkesy - that can happen, the ball goes into the box. We've got three defenders around their striker, and he gets it in the net, and then I think we come into the game ten minutes before half-time.

"Shaq should score. We have the clearest penalty kick ever on Alfie, not given, but I think there's a mandate that we don't get decisions like that.

"And then we said to the boys, play as we played in that last 10, 15 minutes, and the crowd will back us and they'll get behind us, and we're attacking the Thatchers End, and obviously you think you've got the breakthrough with the penalty with Ellis, and I don't think I've seen Ellis take a penalty like that, but he's a brave boy.

"He stands up every week for us, and he's out there probably 70%, 75% fit - him and Joe [Quigley] tonight. So, they get nothing but plaudits from me, but he stood up, and unfortunately, it didn't go in, but we had the momentum.

"Sparkesy has a wonderful free kick, and apart from counter-attacking, when they're breaking, we've almost laid siege to their box, haven't we? Without really making the goalkeeper make a wonder save."

"So, particularly harsh on us and really harsh at the end of the game when he adds five minutes, I'm going to go and see him and only about that.

"And obviously the Alfie Kilgour incident in the first-half, which I'll get the same, which was I got last Sunday, which phone calls apologising for bad, bad decisions last weekend, including the penalty at Shrewsbury, and that's from the head of referees. I called it one of the worst decisions I've seen, and the head of referees agreed."

That first 15 minutes of the second half, you really put them under a lot of pressure. You got the goal. Is there a bit of frustration that for all the fact that you had a lot of ball in their half after that, you didn't really create the chances that you might have done?

"Yeah, listen, you have to give credit. That is a brilliant Salford team. Let's not be disguising it in any other words, we were chasing them around for the first 25 minutes to get to grips with the system. It's different in our level and in terms of how they play, but you can see the money's been well invested in, but, you know, I think they'll have a lot easier games than they've got in the second half here at The Mem.

"I think we've laid a glove on them, but we didn't get the proper knockout punches we want. A little bit more quality on the crossing, a little bit more devious movement in the box, and we get something out of the game, but listen, if we play as we played for the 10 minutes before half-time in the second half, then we'll take what comes for the rest of the season.

"We just said, I go home angry tonight, seeing how my team can turn up at Shrewsbury and play like Shrewsbury and I can see them turn up and play like we played for 60-odd minutes tonight. That makes me angry. Result, losing to Salford and their resources, doesn't in isolation make me angry.

"What makes me angry is what we've been delivering in some games away from home, and then we turn up as we did against Barnett for 75, 80 minutes, and we've turned up for 60 minutes of the 90 tonight, but we have to then be a little bit more creative and a little bit more magical and a little bit more clinical.

"Shaq's had a huge chance before half-time to put us in the game before half-time. You don't get a better chance than a penalty and there are two chances that I'll think about when I go home."

And you are a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde side this season. Really, really good stuff, but when it's bad, it's not good enough and that's, I guess, solving that problem is the key to getting back where you want to go.

"Yeah, it's caused a lot of sleepless nights, for myself, and Paul and Byron. Paul shouldn't be having sleepless nights, as we know, but he has now because we've been speaking at three and four o'clock in the morning.

"A little WhatsApp and then we're on the phone, and as Paul just said, coming off the pitch to me at the end. This team is taking some evolvement because we cannot turn up as we've played in the last two or three away games.

"And fans are entitled to be hurt by those performances, and then I don't think there's a Bristol Rovers fan who leaves The Mem tonight, and doesn't think that for 60 minutes we've been, as we have played here for, since we've come in the door."

Yeah, I guess the stark factor is, I think that's seven defeats in eight in all competitions. It's a run that needs to end sooner rather than later.

"Yeah, but let's not kid ourselves, two of them I played the reserve team at Wycombe and Chelsea.

"Let's not get carried away with stats. Ten consecutive defeats, getting beat fours and fives and could be tens and eights. So let's not put ourselves in that category."

Yeah, but you need to get a result for the players' confidence as much as anything else.

"Well, we need a win for everyone. We need a win for ourselves, for the players, the players need a win. The players' families need a win; more and more importantly, the fans need a win. They need to believe again. But I'm telling you now, my experience tells me, and people say, what's he on about?

"My experience tells me, if we play as we played in that second half, we'll win a lot of games, and we'll win a lot of points.

"But this was a bag of rubbish when we walked in the door. Let's not put ourselves as a bag of rubbish. We had a brilliant performance for 79, 80 minutes against Barnet. My bigger concern, and what's made me angry, has been the away performances. There's not been many poor performances at The Mem.

"There's been average performances this season when we managed to get over the line and win the games. But I thought the second half of 45 minutes, we were outstanding tonight. So people will cut across that and say, "Well, that's not the case." I believe it was.

"We scored, we missed a penalty, we had numerous opportunities flashed across the box. The goalkeeper's had a good save, and we've hit one or two over the bar, when we should be putting it under the bar, etcetera. So, we'll bounce back, for sure."

Just on Shaq Forde, we talked about his chance in the first-half that he sort of just snatched at. I mean, does he, more than anyone, just need a goal?

"It's confidence, Will, isn't it? You know, Shaq Forde last season, when he had two or three goals, would have just clipped that into the far corner and start again 2-1 and they were on the back foot at that stage, as you know.

"Listen, you can go back and look at it, how that's not a penalty on Alfie Kilgour. Ellis Harrison the week before, the punch off the ball the week before, the penalty given against us on Saturday. The head of referees tells me he's trying to find me experienced officials.

"Just find me naïve officials, find me guys that have never seen Bristol Rovers and Evans before. Let's have new officials.

"The referee's not to blame for why we lost tonight, that's for sure, but he should give us a penalty. And he should add nine and a half minutes, not five."

And you obviously switched to a back three tonight. Looked more like a 3-4-1-2, which we saw a lot in the second half of last season. I mean, what was the thinking behind that?

"I think because we were concerned pre-game about the way Salford played and the two 10s, plus the skipper looked really fresh after the weekend rest. It's important that when Alfie had his surgery, it was important that [we] reintroduced him and built it and built it.

"And [he] looked a little bit tired last week, so we couldn't include him really at Shrewsbury, as you've seen, but I did tell him at Shrewsbury, he would definitely be starting against Salford, and we'd done some advance work on that.

"So the plan was always to be with a three. The plan was also to get Sparkes back in the team. And the plan was also to get Shaq Forde, and then obviously we didn't know until we reported to the stadium tonight that Ellis could play, and we didn't know that Joe Quigley would be available for the bench.

"We left the training ground yesterday, believing both were out."

I mean, how important is perspective at a time like this because, despite the form, especially away from home, you're only two points off the play-offs. I mean, is that a weird positive in itself?

"It's rubbish, Will, but I go home angry; if we'd have won tonight, I'd still be going home angry. I watched my team play in that second half and I don't recognise the Shrewsbury performance. I don't recognise the performance away at Crewe. I don't recognise the performance at Gillingham. I don't recognise it.

"We just said to them in there, I'll stand in the front of the players every day of the week. I'll take all the criticisms because people come for me.

"I'm the name at the club in terms of the playing side. People will come for me. Let them come for me if my team play like that. But don't then deliver what we're delivering away from home and then want to hide behind the manager.

"And I'll stand in front of my team tonight, one million per cent. Every one of those lads have given absolutely everything, and I'm proud of that performance after the first 15, 20 minutes, where we allowed ourselves to give Salford too much respect.

"And maybe that was the advance of the game we always do our preparation, our video work with Byron, and Paul's not been around, so me and Byron have led it, led by Byron mainly. And maybe we've made the players apprehensive and scared of Salford. They are a unique team. I think they'll win the league comfortably.

"But we showed what we can do. I mean two or three of those players in that team - I know, as you know. I know them really well. They shook my hand on the pitch and said, "Wow, what a result for us." Because they know what they've going through second-half."

And you talked about the tactical preparations there. You talked last Thursday about looking for a new coach. Is there an update on that?

"Yeah, listen, so we're talking to one or two in particular, one really in particular that I'd love to bring in.

"Let's see where that goes. We need someone in because obviously Paul plays a huge part of what we're doing.

"This inconsistency away from home was here when Paul was here as well, so let's not go saying there's any rationale, but we need support - myself and Byron.

"But it's more important that we just bring in the right person, Will. We don't want to bring in anyone. This is a group that I 100% believe will be competing at the top end of the league at the end of the season, where it matters.

"But we have to then prove that with results, and we're right to say we've lost too many games, but let's not get carried away. It's a reserve team against Chelsea. A reserve team against Wycombe. So let's not put it down with the 10 games."

And a final one from me, just on Paul Raynor. I saw him here again tonight. If you don't mind me asking, how is he?

"Yeah, listen, Paul is a very passionate man. He was in the dressing room before, and half time, and after the game. Yeah, he's fighting a dreadful disease for everyone; he's fighting it, and he's had the most wonderful support.

"Let me just say now, we left the stadium last week, and he was getting the most wonderful support from Gasheads who have either seen loved ones go through it, or going through it, and some people waited behind to wish him God's blessing in the fight that he's got, because it's a hell of a fight.

"But I've tried to tell him to stay at home and rest, even on matchdays, watch it on the telly and be calm, and he's basically just told me to shut up, 'I'm coming.'

"So that was his words this morning, 'Shut up.' And he was in a war, having chemotherapy this morning. So it shows you the heart of the man."