So let's do a little team breakdown...
I think a mistake I see with a lot of coaches (IRL anyways) is they try to make a preset group of players play the way THEY think the game should be played. I think that's backwards. Coaches should have a general mindset for their expectations for a team (do we want to press all over the field? Do we want to be reactive? etc...), but when the pieces are already there, it's important to put the players in positions to succeed.
I also think it's best to build around your best players, and then fill in the gaps around them. So when I'm deciding how to set up my tactic, I want to look at the team and start with it's best players. Here's a shot of our squad at Brackley Town FC:
That's our 23 man squad (plus a trialist) - the second page of players there are mostly depth and reserve team players on non-contracts. But the difference between player 9 and player 22 is minimal. So we build around our top talent and the rest of the squad can fill in where needed. Let's look at those top four players and see how they can fit the larger plan - that being a team that needs to be shored up defensively and can grind it's way to staying up.
Eric Odhiambo
He's a bit of a lackluster "best player," but he does have some interesting attributes. His dribbling, first touch, passing, technique, and vision are a class above everyone else. He has decent mobility so I could see him having success as the focus of our attack - dropping in a bit deeper and finding the ball from everyone. He has decent pace and crossing, so even though I might prefer a flat 4-4-2 formation with a mong and a speedster up top, he fits better in the withdrawn forward role beneath the striker. He could also pair with someone at center mid, but I want him in as much space as possible.
David Moyo
Now we come to someone with a much more obvious skill set - pacey striker. This could work well with our last dude. Moyo can stay higher off the last defender, chasing the long ball over the top and stretching the defense. He lacks the technical ability to contribute much in the way of build up, so he needs to stay high, likely in a poacher role. He's 6', nearly 200, and although his strength and jumping leave something to be desired, he may be serviceable enough in those regards to play as a lone striker.
Sam Whittall
Whittall is Mr Average - which tells you a bit about the quality of the club that he's our third best player. He doesn't do anything great, but he's serviceable at EVERYTHING. He will definitely fit as a hard-working center mid - and he's also suitable in a variety of roles. Flexibility is great in the 6th tier, so he's a nice, if unremarkable, piece.
Ryan Austin
14 strength, 14 jumping, 14 heading, 14 tackling and 6'2"? Oh, he'll work. He's been injured most of the season, which likely explains part of the team's struggles, so having our team captain back in January will help for the second half of the season. In looking through our starting squad, we didn't really anyone to pair with him, so that'll be one of my first orders of business.
Ultimately, these four gave me a good indication as to how this team can and will line up. Game plan is a 4-4-1-1, with Moyo playing the poacher role up top and Odhiambo sitting underneath him as the focal point of attack.