A DELIGHTFUL dilemma awaits Paul Cox on Saturday as he has to choose who to place Jordan Williams in his Barrow AFC line-up.

For the second match in succession, Cox had a player suspended after picking up five yellow cards.

Williams collected his fifth booking of the campaign just a week after Liam Hughes did the same thing and, as a result, will miss the trip to Woking.

Hughes was a spectator as the Bluebirds won their FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie with Tranmere Rovers on Saturday, with loanee Akil Wright winning the race to take his place in the starting line-up.

Hughes now has the chance to step right back into the team with Williams absent, but face strong competition for the spot from Alex-Ray Harvey, Lindon Meikle and Andy Haworth.

The latter two players are more of a like-for-like swap for attacking wide-man Williams, while Ross Hannah is a more forward-oriented option also desperate for his chance to play.

It is a tough choice for Cox to make, much like picking Wright last week on the back of his midweek display in the Lancashire Senior Cup win over Bury. But it is also one he feels shows the variety of options open to him in that part of the field.

“First and foremost – what a brilliant decision to have to make,” said Cox. “Andy Haworth, Lindon Meikle and Liam Hughes – it’s going to be really hard.

“We will look them over, we will look at who we are playing, we will look at what is going to benefit us, and we will pick the best team I think will get us a result at Woking.

“It’s just another jigsaw puzzle you have to complete as a manager.”

Players have found to tough to break into the AFC team of late, with only injuries or suspensions tending to create opportunities during what is an 11-match unbeaten run.

Harvey has found this out to his cost, after being usurped by Paul Turnbull in the heart of midfield after picking up a slight knee problem last month.

Hannah has been forced to watch Byron Harrison and Richie Bennett forge a partnership in attack for the Bluebirds, while Meikle and Haworth are eager for a prolonged run in the team.

All four were in Cox's thoughts to start the FA Cup match against Tranmere, but Cox chose to stick with the team which has played in the recent run of National League success – minus the suspended Hughes.

Cox hopes whoever is given the chance at Woking takes it with both hands and gives him another hard choice to make when Williams is available once again.

He added: “Before the game on Saturday, I spoke to Ross Hannah, I spoke to Al-Ray Harvey, I spoke to Lindon Meikle, I spoke to Andy Haworth. They were all in my thoughts about starting the game.

“Some of these guys must be frustrated as hell about sitting out. All of them have been excellent, all of them have worked extremely hard, and it’s up to me to manage them no.

“What do you do? If anything is going happen, I am a person for whom it has to happen naturally. I’m not one to tinker with something that has a fluidity about it.

“I know Ross Hannah, I know Lindon Meikle, I know Andy Haworth, I know Al-Ray Harvey will get in the side at some point and I hope they recreate the same situation where they are keeping other people out.

“It’s tough, but a big part of it now is managing the squad, managing the boys who haven’t really been in there, to make sure they are focused.

“You saw on Saturday that it was Jordan Williams’ fifth booking, so he misses Woking. He will be a big loss, but I’m hoping that someone comes in, takes that mantle and carries it forward, so that I have a big decision the week after with Jordan Williams.”