The focus on Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team selection was just as much about those who didn’t play, as those who did.

In the second half, there were even Rovers fans concerned about the sight of Ben Brereton being readied to come on.

Had this fixture been scheduled for any other week, the view of it would have been very different among the support base.

This was the chance to play against a Premier League side at a 60,000 capacity stadium and an opportunity to progress to the fourth round of the league cup for the first time since 2011/12.

Yet it felt in the lead up to the game as something of an inconvenience given what was to follow.

With all that in the mix, it made it even more special that this will go down as a night to remember, for those who played, and who made the long trip south.

Tomasson made 11, universally praised, changes, which is saying something given over 2,000 Rovers fans had made the long journey amid travel disruption.

If it were a quandary in his mind, then he need not have worried, given how his selection went down with supporters, but also what he saw from his team.

Any concerns about a young side being blow away would have been erased from the first whistle.

Rovers should have led inside three minutes, did after six minutes, and while West Ham enjoyed the bulk of the territory before the break and grabbed an equaliser six minutes before half time, it was Rovers who had the game’s best chances.

They took one, but should have had three.

The second half saw West Ham try to turn the screw, turning to their bench in the source of inspiration, and they looked to have finally broken Rovers’ resistance when they led for the first time 12 minutes from the end.

But with substitutes of their own, Rovers hauled themselves level to send the game to penalties.

The long wait for a draw didn’t even end as a draw.

What followed was remarkable, all 10 of Rovers’ penalties finding the back of the net with minimal fuss.

The pressure heaped on the hosts with every passing Rovers success to the point when Angelo Ogbonna crumbled, and hit the bar from 12 yards, and with it, a 10-9 victory for those in blue and white.

It sparked delirium in the away end, a famous night for Rovers who hadn’t beaten Premier League opposition since 2015, and hadn’t reached round four of the competition since 2011/12.

For all the talk pre-match about who wouldn’t be featuring, the victory will shine a spotlight on those that did.

For Aynsley Pears, Tayo Edun and Dilan Markanday it was their first match action since round two.

Clinton Mola was making his first start, Joe Rankin-Costello was back in the first-team for the first time since August, John Buckley made a first outing in a month, while Bradley Dack captained the side in what was only his sixth start of the season.

This was a side made up of the unheralded, the untried, the untested and the wanting to impress.

What the side lacked in experience and match minutes, it made up for in desire, and no shortage of belief, as they turned in a real gutsy display, one not without quality.

The players will all have wanted to boost their own confidence, but also gain trust of Tomasson so that their next opportunities might not be so long in the waiting.

As the season so far has shown, things can change very quickly, going from starting XI to Under-21s and vice versa all within the space of a week for some.

Jack Vale had endured a tough time in his previous two starts, hooked at half time against both Coventry City and Reading, but slotted home confidently when the chance presented itself to put Rovers ahead.

His workrate and link-up play was impressive all night and the goal will have done his confidence, and belief, the world of good.

Mola was in equally fine form at the other end, reading the game well, competitive and aggressive when he needed to be, and gave good balance to the left side of the defence. Tomasson praised his performance, and felt a foul on him should have seen the first West Ham goal ruled out.

Alongside Mola, Hayden Carter was given a tough assignment against the experienced Michail Antonio, but largely stood up well, making one crucial block in added time.

Buckley showed signs of getting back towards the player who thrived last season, and even Adam Wharton, who by his own admission had a disappointing night, will still be able to take so much from the game.

West Ham also made 11 changes, but there’s was still a team made up largely of players with Premier League, and in some cases international, experience.

As Tomasson pointed out, the Hammers breezed through their Europa Conference League group with a side not too dissimilar to the one put out against Rovers.

It was therefore a big character check for Rovers, one they passed with flying colours, and was a real moment to savour for those who have been largely on the fringes of things this season.

Whatever the result, the outcome at the London Stadium wouldn’t have had any bearing on Sunday’s game at Burnley.  

Rovers’ recent run of five wins in six Championship matches meant confidence was doing just fine anyway, while very few were ever likely to feature in both.

But there will be an added feel-good factor around Brockhall, a moment in which the whole squad will be able to share, as those most recently on the periphery took centre stage.

One more big push before the break is required, but there was no greater demonstration of Tomasson’s ‘team is number one’ motto than this.