Joey Barton’s message to his players at half-time was relatively straightforward. Bristol Rovers are not alien to the challenge of playing against 10 men this season but it was clear what faced them over the next 45 minutes.
Barrow would retreat to their 18-yard box, stay compact as a block, deny space for 1-2s in between the lines and engage in full, unfiltered and unforgiving gamesmanship; switching the takers at throw-ins, taking as long as is humanly possible to receive treatment, and losing the ability to run once your name appears on the fourth official’s substitutes board.
With Paul Farman having an inspired evening behind them, Rovers would need to be patient but also tempered with the requirement to score against the backdrop of an expectant and near fully-stocked Mem support.
The Gas were clearly going to have a lot of the ball but how they used it was going to be key, and fundamental to that was width and, although to the naked eye it seemed to lack inspiration and progression, horizontal passing.
Going back and forward, from flank to flank, may not seem particularly inspiring - and draws cries of “get it in there” and “shoooooooot” from the stands - but the physical demands it sets on a disadvantaged opposition in pretty crummy conditions would only increase as the half wore on.
Likewise, moving the ball wide and utilising Luca Hoole’s overlapping, as his opposite full-back tucked inside closer to his centre-back, and the switch of Harry Anderson to left-back further stretched the legs and minds of the Barrow team.
It created opportunities, none of which Rovers could take and although there was increasing anxiety in the damp north Bristol air as balls into the box were repelled, deflected behind for corners or hoofed up field, it also had a draining effect.
And although Antony Evans’ sensational winner wasn’t obviously a result of such methodical possession football, it arguably was a direct side-effect. As Whelan rolled the ball into him, Josh Gordon in midfield for Barrow had left that extra five yards occupied for the Scouser to take his run-up and unleash that right boot.
Given it was just eight minutes from time, you could make the case that it was Evans slightly fed up with the gameplan and wanting to take matters into his own hands. But as the midfielder and his manager revealed after, analysis of his shooting positions against Exeter had led him to see the opportunity in a different light.
At that stage of the game, Rovers perhaps would have been forgiven for a sense of mild panic slipping into their play and with the aerial target of Ryan Loft, thumbing through the playbook for Plan B and the "hit Lofty and work the knock-downs" section.
However, calm heads were required to stick to the process and at the centre of it all and most possibly the calmest head on the field - more so than any of the figures on the bench even, it’s fair to say - was Glenn Whelan.
Captaining the side at the base of midfield, the Republic of Ireland international was precisely the sort of efficient metronome Barton needed to stick to the latter of his passing law.
Nothing was forced, hurried or overplayed, Whelan played with efficiency but also endeavour, always an option for his midfielders or defenders, and always looking to keep the ball moving, and by extension try and create spaces and cracks in the Barrow wall.
The 38-year-old has been here many times before - admittedly some of it for Stoke sides who didn’t always like to keep the ball with the same hunger and veracity - but that need to be sensible and stick to the plan meant that Whelan’s ways rubbed off on his teammates in blue and white - “if Whelo is playing this way, this is the way to do it”.
The numbers are dramatically boosted by Barrow’s willingness to cede possession to the Gas following Niall Canavan’s dismissal but Whelan finished with 94.2 pass accuracy, which for a League Two game is pretty remarkable - 81 of his 86 passes found a teammate.
He enjoyed 96 touches of the ball and was responsible for a team high four key passes (that is a pass directly leading to a shot).
Apologies in advance for referencing a phrase from the other side of the river, but Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson has frequently said this season that “the best coaches are players”, with regards to the individuals he entrusts on the field not only to do their jobs, but help others around them do theirs.
Whelan is exactly that for Barton who knows the reliability of the man and the respect he holds in the dressing room to be that reference point, not just in terms of where to pass it but in how to behave.
He won’t play every game - he may even be replaced by Paul Coutts for Saturday’s test at Newport County if Barton wants more legs in midfield while the addition of Jon Nolan further deepens options in midfield - but that’s perfectly okay, because of the influence he brings in the dressing and on the training ground.
Whelan is a perfect man for specific situations like what transpired on Tuesday but also overall in the larger scheme of Rovers’ promotion bid. In what is ostensibly a “young squad” with, we have to remember, a young manager and coaching staff, outside of Kevin Bond, he is that extra bit of experience in such a key department, setting standards and assisting the young players in their own conduct.
Of course, Evans, Aaron Collins, Connor Taylor, Sam Nicholson, James Belshaw and whoever you want to name will be absolutely vital in getting the Gas over the line by the first week in May but Whelan’s influence is sure to be an underlying factor and a major key to success.
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