He’s a mercurial match-winner, but lately his appearances have been rationed, to the intense frustration of some. A quick look through his highlights, even for this season, shows you just how devastating he can be with his pace and abilty to hit a shot from outside the box. He often shakes things up when he comes off the bench. But will Adrian Cieslewicz get a full opportunity to scamper around on the “wide open spaces of Wembley”™? That’s the most talked-about selectorial choice Andy Morrell has to make.

If playing Johnny Hunt up front divides fans, Cieslewicz’s ccontinued absence from the starting line up, and more sparing use from the bench, has created a true schism.

Whether you’re a Bolshevik or a Menshevik on the matter, most seem united in feeling Cieslewicz could be a key player tomorrow. He might not have spent much time on the pitch lately: 47 minutes in the last eight games, his last start coming at Newport. However, his career has suggested he’s a man for the big occasion. Remember his goal at Brighton? His terrific first half showing in the play-off semi-final second leg at Luton two seasons ago as we chased an impossible task? His goal-scoring performance at the same stage last season? His crucial goal in the first leg of the semi-final against Gainsborough? They key appears to be knowing when to deploy him if we’re to allow him to cause maximum havoc: before advocates of his starting get too carried away, the last two performances came when he was used off the bench.

That said, Morrell’s sparing use of him might allow him to spring Cieslewicz on Grimsby. Managers often like throwing in a surprise selection to shock their opposite numbers and shake up their plans, and Morrell pulled that trick on Gainsborough in the first leg when he gave Rob Ogleby his only start of the last 13 games.

Morrell has been good for Cieslewicz, I feel. He has certainly given him his head more than Dean Saunders did, and clearly appreciates the wide man’s potential. He’s a shrewd customer, and I’m sure he’ll be acutely aware of the advantage we’ll have if we can make the most of his talent: perhaps holding him back like this has partly been a tactic to ensure he’ll be ready to explode and show what he can do once he’s given the opportunity.

So what does Morrell do? I suspect he’ll keep his options open and put Cieslewicz on the bench. But  then it’s from there that he often does the most damage.