Great Wakering Rovers stage their final home game of the century at Burroughs Park tomorrow and can reflect on what has been a fabulous year for the club.

Having finished high enough in the Scweppes Essex Senior League last term to gain promotion to a higher status, the village side made a tremendous start to life in the Ryman League Third Division.

At one stage they had a big lead at the top but that faded when Rovers had a brief barren spell and other challengers caught up in games played.

But Eddie Nash's men are still looking a good bet to be one of the three sides to gain promotion to the Second Division at the end of the term.

They are currently joint leaders with Aveley and Croydon Athletic - although third on goal difference - and it will be a major surprise if they fail to pick up three points from tomorrow's visit by o struggling Flackwell Heath.

The visitors have the second worst defensive record in this section having conceded 42 goals in 17 Third Division games.

Wakering have returned to form with a vengeance over the past couple of weeks.

A fortnight ago they pulled off an against-the-odds Carlsberg FA Vase win at high-flying Division Two side Hemel Hempstead.

That means that next month they are up against top Northern outfit Vauxhall in a bid for a last 16 spot.

And last week Wakering relaunched their League promotion bid with a 2-1 win at Corinthian Casuals, who are one of the oldest teams in the country.

Rovers also received a major boost in that one of their most experienced players, midfielder Paul Pilkington, was back in action after a brief spell away from the village side at Dr Martens League Eastern Section Chelmsford City.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.