EITHER Basildon United or Bowers & Pitsea will be crowned Essex Senior League champions tonight as an enthralling title race reaches its conclusion.

Bowers secured promotion to the Ryman One North on Monday with a 3-0 win over Waltham Forest, after Basildon failed to apply for promotion.

The result lifted Rob Small’s team above the Bees on just goal difference and a win for Bowers against Hullbridge Sports tonight, who they beat 9-0 last weekend, would see them win the title.

However, Basildon will pip them to the championship if they can better Bowers’ result when they take on Barking this evening and manager Craig Gillam hasn’t given up on the title.

“What the club has done this season is absolutely fantastic,” said Gillam. “I expect Bowers to win their game with Hullbridge but we still have to do the job against Barking and that will certainly not be easy.

“It would have been nice to not have such a tough game to finish on but it is what it is and we will do our best to end with a victory. We would love to win the league but what will be will be.

“Hullbridge are a tough team to play against and although their recent results haven’t been very good they will want to get past the 9-0 defeat and they have a chance to do that. I know Jimmy Cox and Jamie Merrells over there and they have told me they want to put on a good show after that result and hopefully that will be the case.”

Gillam, who is friends with Bowers manager Small, applauded Bowers off the pitch following Monday’s win against Waltham Abbey.

And he said he was pleased for them to secure promotion to the Ryman One North.

“I was at the game and am pleased they got promotion,” he said. “They deserve it and you want to lose the league to the best team so we will see who that is tonight.”

Southend Manor and Hullbridge Sports end their campaigns on Saturday.