Sam Ricketts: Shrewsbury's decision-making cost us the game

Hosts Town trailed 2-0 and 3-1 before dramatically bringing it back to 3-3 with 23 minutes to go through Josh Laurent's second goal.

But former Town captain Abu Ogogo popped up with a well-taken winner four minutes from time to condemn Shrewsbury to a gut-wrenching defeat.

On a error-strewn afternoon Town handed their visitors a 2-0 lead early on before grabbing one back only to fall 3-1 behind after a second-half Joe Murphy mistake.

Ricketts' men showed fine spirit and determination to mount the two-goal comeback with goals from Ollie Norburn and Laurent midway through the second half but former midfielder Ogogo had the final say.

Ricketts said: "Ultimately we're disappointed in losing the game.

"I felt we started slowly, gave ourselves an uphill battle by giving some really poor goals away.

"But the boys didn't half try to climb the uphill battle, we climbed it with 20 minutes to go.

"Probably with all that euphoria we played the last 20 minutes like we had two minutes to go. Maybe it came a little bit open.

"There were a few bits of decision-making (that cost us) towards the end. But we showed a lot of character and effort to get back in the game, which was superb.

"It was played more or less in their half (in the second half) with us pushing. We ended up getting back to 3-3 with momentum with us but we couldn't quite get the winning goal.

"Maybe we were a little bit too open, too gung-ho, and one little sucker punch means we lose the game."

Ricketts added: "I felt our changes in the second half (Fejiri Okenabirhie and Ryan Giles) changed the game. We got a lot more control and into good areas for crosses, where a couple of goals came from.

"We just wanted to go on and get that winning goal."

Town, who had previously managed 10 clean sheets from 22 games this season, did not look themselves in defence and handed the proportion of Rovers' goals on a silver platter.

"It's unlike us and disappointing. At 3-3 you just want to consolidate and certainly not lose the game," Ricketts added.

"We were still pushing, they weren't peppering our goal. It just tipped their way in the end, a thrilling game for the neutral that didn't go our way."

One of the game's major talking points was the decision by referee Graham Salisbury to deny Louis Thompson - making his first league start for Town - what looked a penalty with Shrews 1-0 down.

After a storming run Thompson hit the deck under pressure from Rovers defender Alfie Kilgour.

Five players from both sides were booked in the lengthy handbags that followed.

Ricketts said: "It's a penalty. I don't quite understand how it isn't.

"Louis has slowed down because he wants to have a shot and the defender goes into the back of him.

"You saw the speed he goes around the guy at. He has to slow down to take his shot, the defender goes into the back of him, it's a penalty.

"Unfortunately I've been the recipient of that many times myself, giving penalties away.

"Why would Louis Thompson go down in the box? To say there's contact but not enough - either there is or there isn't.

"It doesn't take a lot to put you off your balance when you're running like that. I thought the run shows what Louis Thompson is all about and it should've been a penalty.

"I asked his opinion. They have a hard game and don't mean to make mistakes

.

"He said he didn't think there was enough contact - which means there was contact and it's a penalty."