Bristol Rovers returning to winning ways as Jame Lindsay's fine, first-time finish secured a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas were looking for their second consecutive win at The Memorial Stadium and showed early signs of intent through Shaq Forde, who fired a close-range strike straight at Toby Savin on his first start.
John Marquis and George Lloyd had chances for the Shrews before the break but struggled to test Josh Griffiths, with Lindsay breaking the deadlock after in the second half with a placed first-time finish into the top corner.
Tom Bloxham thought he had levelled late on for the Shrews, but his effort was ruled out for offside after a lengthy check.
Omochere looked to set the tempo for the evening inside the first few seconds, charging down a clearance straight from Shrewsbury’s kick-off and winning a corner.
The bright start immediately put the Gas in the ascendancy, with Forde having a brilliant chance to score. Ruel Sotiriou lobbed a clever pass through to the forward inside the box, but his one-on-one effort was saved before Scott Sinclair dragged the rebound wide.
The Shrews had impressed on the road and had scored eight goals in their last two outings on their travels, with former Rovers striker Marquis looking to add to his two strikes this campaign. The attacker beat the offside trap to go through on goal and looked to go around Griffiths, who smothered the ball.
The Pirates were proving to be a threat down both flanks in the first half, with Forde racing at his marker, getting to the byline before seeing his inviting cutback cleared away. Lino Sousa also combined with Scott Sinclair down the left, with the pair interchanging dangerously with effect.
However, the visitors had the next two big opportunities to end the half strongly. A clever move down the right fell to George Lloyd, but his goal-bound strike deflected off Kamil Conteh and wide. Marquis then found Lloyd with a searching low cross, with the forward sliding his shot wayward.
The second half started slower than the first, but Rovers took the lead after a brilliant passing move and finish. Omochere held onto possession and dropped the ball off to Sotiriou, who played the ball into the onrushing Forde. He assessed his options before sending a cutback into Linday, who directed his first-time shot into the top corner.
The Gas displayed plenty of intent in and out of possession and were looking to win back the ball at every opportunity. Taylor Moore showed his desire with two slide tackles in quick succession next to the corner flag, lifting the home crowd to their feet.
Paul Hurst’s side attempted to find a way back into the content with a flurry of corners, with Omochere clearing town away before Shrewsbury went close. Leo Castledine’s corner bobbled around the box, with Rovers' defence scrambling the ball off the line before hitting the bar at the other end.
Forde rolled a clever pass through to Omochere, who looped his strike over the goalkeeper but against the woodwork. The pair combined moments later on the edge, with Omochere driving his low strike straight at Savin.
Shrewsbury pushed for a leveller and thought they had found one in the final moments. Bloxham collected the ball on the outside of the area and fired a low shot past Griffiths, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Luke Thomas came off the bench and went close to doubling the Gas’ lead, but his effort rattled the bar.
Bristol Rovers: Griffiths, Sousa (Mola 53), Moore, Wilson, Sinclair (Bilongo 73), Omochere, Sotiriou (Thomas 90), Taylor, Conteh, Forde (McCormick 90), Lindsay (Ward 73)
Subs not used: Garrett, Hutchinson
Goals: Lindsay 53
Booked: Lindsay 46, Moore 62, Omochere 82
Shrewsbury Town: Savin, Rossiter (Winchester 75), Feeney, Feeney (Bloxham 74), Lloyd, Ojo, Pierre, Gilliead (Hoole 74), Castledine (Sagoe Jr 75), Nurse (Benning 35), Marquis.
Subs not used: Perry, O’Reily
Booked: Pierre 40
Referee: Scott Simpson
Attendance: 6,361 (284)
