EVERGREEN GLENN STILL BLOOMING

A REMARKABLE aspect of Bristol Rovers’ 7-0 final day win over Scunthorpe – which secured promotion from League Two – was the presence of a 38-year-old Dubliner in the engine room. Glenn Whelan is old enough to be the father of some of his younger colleagues but his value has never been underestimated for a moment by manager Joey Barton. Another Dub, Trevor Clarke, was also in the Bristol starting XI after a season bedeviled by injuries. Whelan served in the trenches under Barton at Morecambe before answering a call to arms for The Gas, for whom he played 33 games this season, including the full 90 minutes on Saturday. Needing to win by five goals more than Northampton to clinch third place, Whelan’s experience was crucial as Rovers put The Iron to the sword. Barton, who hopes Whelan will soldier on next season, said of his former Manchester City colleague: ‘Me and Whelo played in the same youth team together, and he was much better than I was.’ That Whelan (pictured left with teammate James Belshaw after the weekend’s landslide victory) has kept on trucking reflects a professional attitude, and his dedication to the sport – he has chalked up 677 first-team appearances. I felt Whelan was discarded too early at international level and should have joined the Republic of Ireland club of centurions. Instead, he was stranded on 92 caps. He deserved better.