Truro City boss Lee Hodges insists his team will play on the front foot against Charlton on Sunday.

The National League South club take on the Addicks at the Valley in the FA Cup first-round.

Charlton manager Karl Robinson expects Truro to park the bus, but Hodges has instructed the non-league minnows to attack.

He told News Shopper: “First and foremost, we’ve got to make sure we stay in the game. I don't think we’re going to change the way we play. We play to win games and nothing’s going to change.

“We’re going to go there and have a go. If you just sit back and defend, defend, defend then it’s going to be hard. You have to go and attack these teams and give it your best shot and see where it takes you.

“Of course, you have to make sure you’re not leaving yourself open and you’ve got to stay solid.

“We’re not going to change the way we've been playing, we’re going to carry on doing it.

“We conceded 99 goals last season so I changed things around this year to make sure we’d be more solid. Other than one game this season, we’ve won or lost by one goal.”

News Shopper:

Truro City | Picture: Colin Bradbury

Former Plymouth midfielder Hodges, who works four days a week as a coach at the Argyle Community Trust, holds two-hour training sessions with Truro on Mondays and Thursdays. 

The Cornish club reached the FA Cup first-round after securing a 2-0 win over Hampton and Richmond Borough last month.

Now, Hodges takes Truro to the 27,000-seater Valley knowing they are underdogs. Charlton, who are unbeaten in eight games, are expected to field a strong side to avoid a huge cup upset.

Hodges added: “The preparations have gone really well. The boys are really buzzing but know full well they've got a big task ahead of them.

“We've brought in a lot of players who can go and play at a higher level, but for whatever reason, they just haven't quite cracked it. Some have had a little sniff of playing in the Football League.

“So it’s an opportunity to showcase themselves against a very good team. Who knows? They could put themselves in the shop window by competing against a team that is flying high in League One.

“I’ve been on the end of some upsets in my time, but Charlton aren’t going to be silly. They’re going to do everything right to make sure there’s not an upset.

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“It’s brilliant for our fans and it’s special for them because they probably wouldn't have seen this in their lifetime. So it’s big for them. It’ll be a great day out - we’re just there to give it our all.”

Truro are sixth in the National League South after making a promising start to the season.

And Hodges has identified his team’s biggest threats.

He said: “We’ve got one or two players who have been trialling for Football League clubs this season.

“Our midfielder Noah Keates is our top scorer with eight goals and Cody Cooke up front has scored six times.

“We’ve got a lot of quality in there and we’re pleased with the squad. I hope they don’t freeze when they see the size of the stadium!”