Steve Cotterill reflected on today's game with Peterborough United.
We entered the match having won our last five games at Montgomery Waters Meadow.
But the visitors were given a huge helping hand in the first half when referee Carl Boyson very harshly judged that Matt Pennington had fouled Ephron Mason-Clark in the box.
Despite there looking to be next to no contact, the official awarded a penalty which Jonson Clarke-Harris converted. Second-half goals from Mason-Clark and Jack Taylor then sealed the points for Peterborough.
Speaking to the assembled media, Steve gave his reaction to the game and discussed how injuries are impacting the season.
ON THE GAME:
"I thought the refereeing performance was awful.
"I think he had a big impact on the game today with the penalty. It was never a penalty.
"I didn’t think it was a penalty at the time and I have just looked back at it twice in slow motion - it is never a penalty.
"The first goal today was going to be really important for us, especially on the back of last week - we wanted to get our noses in front.
"They started the brighter team, they only had that effort against the post when Christian Saydee needs to nod a little ball into Ryan Bowman on the halfway line, he doesn't, and then all of a sudden they nick it. We had the ball from them hitting the post.
"The penalty then changes everything really because we needed that first goal today after last week.
"We needed it to get the crowd going, who tried their best to support the players I believe, our crowd.
"I think then we needed something before half-time. We then lose Christain Saydee. That does not help.
"We then use up one of our substitutes, when we have only got two (senior) outfield players in Rob (Street) and Elliott (Bennett). That doesn’t help us.
"And I think the referee was so pedantic with everything that went on, everything seemed to be a yellow card for us but not for the Peterborough players.
"I think if he is going to book some of our lads for what he has booked them for then he needs to book their players as well.
"I think that his performance today did not help us to get going and it was at a major point in the game when he gave the penalty."
ON THE INJURIES:
"They are going to hurt you.
"Dan Udoh, 50 odd games last year 16 goals.
"George Nurse 50 odd games last.
"Tom Bayliss, ankle ligaments, out now and won't start playing until pre-season, we cannot get by with those numbers.
"What we have done is push it as far as we can. We have pushed it and pushed it and we have to carry on doing that. The lads will carry on doing it.
"It is blatantly obvious, but you have to have a smaller squad here to get better players.
"Otherwise, you have the 29 that I had when I came in here and you can be bottom of the league with eight points and look like they are going to finish that season with an average of 33 or 34 points.
"Could have had that two years ago."
ON PETERBOROUGH'S SECOND GOAL:
"Mason-Clark is a really good player for them. He is a really, really, good player.
"But he wouldn’t want to play against Matthew Pennington every week because Matthew Pennington, until that moment, had him in his pocket.
"And he (Pennington) gets the better of him. He gets the better of him.
"But as he (Mason-Clark) comes inside, Penno has slipped so that gives him more room to come inside and get his shot off.
"As I’ve said before he is a very good player."
ON STILL BEING IN THE TOP 10 IN LEAGUE ONE:
"I thought there would be some funny results today which is why it would have been really good if we could have got the three points.
"I think I said in the build-up and if we are in the top 10 I can still speak about it – but for Shrewsbury Town to be in the top 10 is great credit to the players and great credit to my staff who look after them as much as they do.
"I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my staff and the players – they have given everything.
"Sometimes, maybe your luck runs out, and our luck with regards to the injuries has really run out.
"But we have a duty to all the supporters because they are very important.
"They turned up today, I asked them to get behind the team and they did it and we didn’t really give them a lot to shout about.
"The reason I asked for that is I potentially saw something like that happening today – but you don’t want to put that out there.
"We didn’t need anything to go wrong today. But a big thank you to them for the way they have backed the lads and stayed with them."
