Ben Davies stayed on the bench at Barnet on Tuesday night

Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Simpson has defended his decision to leave captain Ben Davies out of Tuesday night's starting XI against Barnet.

Davies was an unused substitute in the goalless draw at Underhill as Simpson handed a debut to midfielder Terry Dunfield, who signed on Monday.

Simpson told BBC Shropshire: "We pick a team we think is right on the night. I'm not making a big issue out of it.

"Just because he's the captain it doesn't mean he commands a place."

Simpson added: "Everybody has to be prepared to earn the right to play.

"If the performances are not quite up to it or we believe that there's a system we're going to play in games to get a result then players need to accept that."

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