ONE thing Michael Appleton was looking for this week was that his players would give him a selection dilemma and they have certainly delivered.

Seven changes were made for the Emirates FA Cup victory over Merstham, which saw United put five goals past their Ryman Premier Division hosts.

The pack was further shuffled on Tuesday night when only three retained their place for the Checkatrade Trophy draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The majority of the squad has been given their chance to shine over the last seven days and it looks to have proved a confidence-boosting exercise.

Striker Kane Hemmings scored three goals in two games, while midfielder Ryan Ledson and forward Rob Hall got vital minutes under their belts after their return from respective knee injuries.

United travel to bottom side Shrewsbury Town tomorrow, bidding to arrest a three-match winless run in Sky Bet League One.

Head coach Appleton revealed he already had a team in mind to start at the Greenhous Meadow before United faced Merstham.

But the question is, after being encouraged by what he has seen over the last week, will he stick or twist when it comes to his line-up?

“It has given me an opportunity to look at the squad as a whole and everyone an opportunity to stake a claim,” said Appleton,

“I am sure the side we pick will reflect that.

“I had selected the side probably before those two games, but it depended on how people performed.

“You are hoping they back up your thought processes.”

He added: “There were one or two pleasant surprises that I was delighted with.

“In terms of changing my mind, not too sure, swaying it slightly, possibly.”

This week has certainly shown the benefits of United having a bigger pool of players to choose from this season.

Much was made of the size of last year’s squad that not only won promotion from Sky Bet League Two, but also reached the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and fourth round of the FA Cup.

Appleton now has more players at his disposal and used 20 across the two cup games this week.

But he was keen to stress they cannot all be afforded playing time as often.

He added: “I think everyone knew the script at the start of the season.

“We needed to have a slightly bigger squad than we certainly had last year when we took a gamble and it paid off.

“What people have got to understand is sometimes you may miss out and not play, you may have to sit on the bench or you might miss out on the squad entirely.”