Bristol Rovers earned a point away at Crewe Alexandra in Sky Bet League Two in Steve Evans' first fixture as the Gas' Head Coach.
Rovers started well, with Fabrizio Cavegn sent through in the opening few minutes, but his effort lacked the necessary power to beat goalkeeper Sam Waller. The hosts then gained the lead against the run of play through Emre Tezget, who latched onto the end of a cutback and thumped his strike into the top corner.
However, the Pirates were not behind for long. Alfie Klgour’s ball over the top was not dealt with, and Callum Morton chested the ball round the on-rushing Waller and tapped into the empty net.
Things went from bad to worse for Crewe when Adrien Thibaut was sent off in the first half, but the Gas could not find a winner. Luke Thomas went the closest, but his one-on-one attempt was saved by the goalkeeper.
Evans made five changes to the team that lost 3-0 to Swindon Town in the previous fixture and handed a first start to Morton, who was playing up front alongside Cavegn in the attack.
The Swiss striker had the first chance of the contest moments after the referee got the match underway, latching onto Thomas' pass before sending his effort straight at Waller.
The Railwaymen were backed by a packed ground at the Mornflake Stadium and pleased the home fans with the opening goal soon after Rovers went close. Reece Hutchinson raced down the left and pulled the ball across to Tezgel, who finished with a first-time strike past Luke Southwood.
Rovers responded instantly and got themselves level through Morton, who got his first goal in blue-and-white quarters. Crewe failed to deal with Alfie Kilgour's ball over the top of their defence, with Morton controlling it well before going around the goalkeeper to score.
Thibaut then saw red after an altercation with Clinton Mola, leaving the Railwaymen a man down in the 28th minute. Josh March would later break through the Rovers' defence, but a fantastic, outstretched save from Southwood denied him.
Shaq Forde replaced Fabrizio Cavegn as Evans looked to turn one point into three, with the forward almost getting an assist to his name seconds after coming on. He slipped the ball down the left and through to Thomas, who thumped his strike at the goalkeeper.
Thomas was at the heart of the action later on, cutting the ball back to Sparkes, who had a shot blocked before Morton's effort was also stopped in the same fashion, with Thomas then blasting over.
Rovers kept the pressure on and were inches away from completing a memorable comeback. Kamil Conteh went searching for his third goal of the campaign when he shifted possession onto his left foot outside the box before driving a low shot towards the bottom corner, but the ball hit the inside of the right post before being cleared away.
Crewe's best chance of the second half came through Dione Rankin, but he could only find the side netting, with the two teams forced to share the points.
Crewe Alexandra: Waller, Billington, Hutchinson, Sanders, Connolly, Lunt (Moult 81), Agius, March (Powell 81), O’Reilly, Thibaut, Tezgel (Rankine 32)
Subs not used: Booth, Finney, Croker, Dancey
Goals: Tezgel
Booked: Sanders
Red: Thibaut
Bristol Rovers: Southwood, Sparkes, Moore, Kilgour, Mola, Thomas (Sotirou 72), McEachran, Conteh, Chang (Cotterill 72), Cavegn (Forde 56), Morton (Dewsbury 75)
Subs not used: Young, Bilongo, Negru
Goals: Morton
Booked: Mola, Sparkes
Referee: Micheal Barlow
Attendance: 9125
