Manager Paul Tisdale admits he faces his biggest selection dilemma of the season ahead of Exeter City's trip to Leyton Orient on Saturday.

The Grecians go into the game on the back of a six-game unbeaten run in npower League One and will be looking to build on their 3-0 win over Tranmere Rovers ten days ago.

Tisdale will have to choose whether to keep faith in his batch of fringe players who performed so admirably in the absence of six first-team regulars against Tranmere, or whether to make changes after the club's injury crisis was eased this week.

Daniel Nardiello, Liam Sercombe, James Dunne, David Noble and John O'Flynn are all back in contention after returning to training.

While Tisdale is mulling over selection issues for the trip to East London, he insists the added competition comes as a welcome relief in what has been a turbulent season.

"The biggest problem I'm going to have is picking a side," he said. "With only five players allowed on the bench, for the first time this season I'm going to have to leave some senior first-team players out of the squad.

"Last weekend was probably one of the most satisfying performances in the last five-and-a-half years. The likes of Scot Bennett, Elliott Frear and Richard Logan have given me a real problem for this week's game, because they have all put down a marker.

"For the first time in a while, I've got a good, healthy squad in place for this game. I've got a bench that I can actually look at and think I've got options there to really improve things, which has been a rarity this year."

City take on a Leyton Orient team whose fortunes have mirrored their own after both clubs mounted a surprise play-offs push last season.

Orient struggled towards the start of the campaign but their results have picked up in recent weeks to leave them a point behind the Grecians heading into the encounter.

"They've had a similar season to us so far," said Tisdale. "When you do well at the end of the season and do so much better than you probably should be doing, there is going to be a consequence to that.

"Players move on to bigger things and there is a change in expectation. There are all sorts of things going on and there is a carry over to the next season.

"So they have stuttered a little bit having done so well last year, but they are picking up slowly. [Orient manager] Russell Slade has done a good job and they will have a healthy finish, I'm sure."

The Grecians are in 17th place in League One, having amassed 20 points from 19 games, and are four points clear of the relegation places.

Tisdale is confident City will improve in the second half of the season and start to ease away from the drop zone.

"The league table is close," he said. "We just have to concentrate on being better in the second half of the season and we will edge up the table a bit more.

"There is definitely a shape to the league already. You can see where the strength lies, and our job is to move ourselves up and cement ourselves in the middle third.

"I think we've done really well – as well as we could have done under the circumstances. I would say we've done as well as we did last year, given that we've had players coming in and going out and some horrendous injury problems in August and September.

"It is probably a sign of things to come. I think we have to get used to this if we are going to be in League One.

"It is certainly not going to be as good as it was last year very often. That was a real one-off. To be where we are coming up to Christmas, I'm delighted."