DEAN KEATES admits he had difficult selecting a substitutes bench for Saturday's 3-0 victory over Yeovil due to the competition for places.

The Wrexham boss had pretty much decided who would start the encounter but with only striker Kwame Thomas out injured, he had plenty of options for his five replacements.

Mark Carrington, James Horsfield, Jamie Reckord, Devonte Redmond, Keanu Marsh-Brown and Chris Sang failed to make the match-day squad in the end, but it was not due to a lack of effort in training ahead of the contest.

Keates wants all his players to continue giving him a selection headache as the Reds, who have four games to go, aim to secure a play-off spot.

"There are players that are not out there that fans haven't seen for a few weeks or for a few months," said Keates.

"They are all training at a high standard and it is something that we built ourselves on when we spoke at the start of the season about what our aims and objectives are. We have high standards inside the four walls.

"Players who have not been involved - James Horsfield for example - has not been seen for a few months.

"That is testament to the players that have come in but James is one of the best trainers at the football club. He comes in every day and applies himself unbelievably well.

"I said to the group, it is not about the 11, the three subs that got on or the 16 that went out there; it is about the whole group, a collective. They train properly, they conduct themselves properly.

"I had to go home on Friday night and had to sleep on who was going to make the bench. I was 99.9 per cent certain on my starting XI but I had to sleep on who made the bench.

"That is where it needs to be over these next four games, and hopefully the four games becomes five, five becomes six and six becomes seven."

The run-in continues with Saturday's clash against mid-table Boreham Wood who Keates will not be taking lightly.

"It is going to be a difficult game, it always is against Boreham Wood," said Keates.

"They have got some good players and I am surprised that they are not right in the mix so we won't underestimate them."