Matt Jones wants East Grinstead to show some of Arsenal's spirit in Sunday's big HA Cup game.

The Gunners beat Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu in the Champions League on Tuesday despite missing nine first-teamers.

Grinstead visit University of Birmingham in the quarterfinal of hockey's showpiece cup competition on Sunday with eight of their squad ruled out.

Manager Jones said: "I am hoping for a similar performance from our boys to the one Arsenal put in at the Bernabeu.

"We have eight players out through injury or being involved in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games.

"With the weather hampering training at Saint Hill this week, it is certainly not the ideal preparation for the quarterfinal of the national cup.

"But we know that the East Grinstead spirit is fantastic and the squad has a tendency to overcome all adversity.

"I am still looking for a good performance against weaker opposition and if we can scrape through we know the squad would be bolstered for a semifinal."

East Grinstead have only ever won the HA Cup once, beating Blackheath 1-0 in 1984, and their record in recent years has been pretty poor.

University of Birmingham play in National South and one of their players is a familiar face.

Forward Steve Edmonds is a former East Grinstead player, having also played for Brighton and Lewes, and he could be back at Saint Hill next season after completing his degree course. Jones said: "We are hoping he will return to East Grinstead next season."

Trinidad and Tobago international trio Kwan Browne, Dwain Quan Chan and Dillet Gilkes are in Scotland preparing for the Commonwealth Games. The squad will fly down to Sussex next week for a training camp at Saint Hill and will play an Invitational XI on Saturday, March 4 before flying out to Melbourne. The match will start at 6pm.

Also missing for Grinstead on Sunday are Simon Ogden, who has broken a leg in a skiing accident, Mike Trim, who has a dislocated ankle, plus Dominick Male, Duncan Howarth and Paul Coltham.

The big game in Sussex this weekend sees Brighton entertain Lewes in South Premier division one. Brighton need to win to keep their hopes of reaching the National League alive. Lewes are without top scorer Will Champness.