SAFE from relegation and out of the running for the playoffs – on face value the stakes are not especially high for Oxford United and AFC Wimbledon when they meet tomorrow.

But there is always something to be gained from competitive football and with five games still to play, U’s boss Michael Appleton has one key decision to make.

Should the strongest XI be played in an effort to finish as high in the table as possible, or is this a chance to experiment with personnel, with a view to next season?

As ever, the answer is somewhere in between.

“It’s not going to be ridiculous, I will give respect to everyone we play,” Appleton said.

“We want to win every single game, starting on Saturday, but there are certain players who deserve an opportunity to show me what they can do.”

Those in line for some game time over the next month are likely to be the younger players in the squad.

James Roberts and Josh Ashby are likely to get a chance, while Sam Humphreys and Aidan Hawtin could make first-team debuts before the end of the season.

Appleton is also keen to field a couple of defenders who have warmed the bench in recent months, but only if the time is right.

He said: “People like Sam Long and Chey Dunkley have been patient and sat on the bench for a while as well.

“If I get the opportunity I’d love to give them a couple of starts along the way, but I want to win the games, so it’s a balancing act.

“I’m not going there to be part of some kind of party, I want to go there and win the games.

“We want to finish the season with a real momentum behind us and looking ahead to next year.”

While whatever happens over the next five games will not change which division United kick off in this August, the way they finish can have an impact on how the season is viewed.

With a fortnight remaining two years ago, Chris Wilder’s men sat 14th in League Two, but after collecting nine points they finished ninth.

The swing could be as big this time.

Limp over the line and the U’s could end up just above the bottom two, while a strong run could see them leapfrog several teams within reach – including Wimbledon.

It would not mend what has been an intensely disappointing season, but 12th place sounds an awful lot better than 20th.

Appleton said: “That’s the mindset we’ve got to take into the games.

“We could actually finish in the top half of the table.

“That’s enough incentive from my point of view and it should be the same for the players.

“(Wimbledon) is a great game.

“People will look at it and see it as a dead rubber, but that’s not the case at all from our point of view.”