Oxhey Jets manager Wayne Gladdy admits it will hard to rein in his side’s natural attacking flair when they take on AFC Rushden and Diamonds in the FA Cup this weekend as he “loves attacking football”.

The United Counties Premier Division side play hosts to the Jets in the FA Cup extra preliminary round today (Friday) and Gladdy says he will set his side up to play more defensively than normal.

He said: “I’m going to approach it a little more defensively than we have been. We were a bit gung-ho in the first two games as we were at home against teams that I really wanted us to put pressure on.

“Obviously, we’re travelling up to Rushden this time to play a team that used to be a big-league side, so I’m unsure what to expect from them. I don’t know whether they’re a team on the decline or a team that have lost their funding and dropped down the leagues but are slowly rebuilding,” admitted Gladdy.

“If we can get a draw out of it and bring them back to our place it will be great, but if we can get the win it will be fantastic. Saying we’ll be playing cautiously is a hard thing to say as a former striker because I love attacking football,” he added.

The Jets have begun the new Spartan South Midlands season with a win and a defeat, recovering from Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Hoddesdon to beat Hadley 2-1 on Tuesday evening with Lee Armitt bagging a brace.

And Gladdy believes the early win will prove crucial: “We showed the fight and spirit we had the season before, which is something we missed in our first game. We weren’t world beaters, we didn’t play well, but we showed the character and heart from last season which isn’t something you can really teach.

“I know we’ve got the quality in the side and it will click but like I said, it’s just nice to see them show that character.”

The Jets are in action again next Tuesday when they travel to Berkhamsted.