I think most people play defensive football when playing at this level - I don't think that's absolutely necessary.
I also don't believe in one type of tactic for all teams. Here's what I would do:
1) Use your team depth report to see what formation would a) enable you to play all the best players in your starting team without sticking them in a position they're not familiar with and b) provide you with enough decent back-up in case of injuries, rest, etc.
2) Go through your team comparison report and see if your squad has any strong points. If it's passing and creativity, you may want to play a short passing game, if it's height with heading and jumping, you may want to do a direct game, especially if you also have fast players that can earn you lots of corners and a good free-kick taker to supply them with chances from set pieces.
3) You won't have the financial capability to completely change the way your team plays. Rather, find your weakest links, and replace them with players that fit both your squad personality, your playing style (i.e. if it's short-passing game, make sure they can pass well), and your strategy (don't sign players who will have to play out of position).
4) Try your best to play everyone in their natural positions and roles. You may need to occasionally force them to do something slightly different, but try not to minimize this.
Using the above you should have a strategy that fits your team. Fluidity and mentality are things you can tweak as you go. Don't be afraid to play attacking football if your team can do it. I think everyone playing a lower league club assumes that they must play defensively, but my team has the most goals in league 2 as well as the top scorer even though we were projected to be 24th. We concede a lot, so we're not in first, but the "score more than your opponent" strategy does work with teams that prefer to attack, even at this level.
As far as home/away strategies, I'm not really sure. I don't separate between home and away games that much, so I don't have separate strategies for each.