The Mem has hosted some incredible scenes in 2022. Bristol Rovers' 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury Town on Saturday was not one of them.
The Gas were dragged into a gruelling slog as Steve Cotterill's Shrews sought to prevent any sense of flow or tempo from developing in the contest. Breaks in play were elongated, attempts to lure the coloured cards from the referee's pocket were frequent and Rovers' patience was pushed to the limit.
Shrewsbury got the kind of game they wanted: a gruelling scrap that played to their strengths at set-pieces and on the counter-attack, with Joey Barton's Rovers unable to impose their will on the pattern of play.
