Canvey Island go into tonight's Ryman League First Division clash at Leatherhead knowing that victory will carry them into the much-coveted top three placings.

There's no doubt that anything other than a Canvey victory tonight will be a big surprise as the Surrey outfit are having a bad time at the wrong end of the table and have recently lost to both Staines and bottom club Wembley - two outfits comprehensively beaten by Gulls in recent weeks.

Jeff King's men are now on a seemingly unstoppable march towards the Premier Division.

They've lost just once in the past 15 games in all and that was at Conference high-fliers Cheltenham Town, who struggled to beat them 2-1 with a late goal in their defence of the FA Umbro Trophy.

It's all so different from the sad saga of the Islanders in mid-November.

Then they were struggling on all fronts and looked most unlikely to be involved in the promotion race.

However, manager King made a number of shrewd moves into the transfer market with the most important of all being the snapping up of one-time Southend United youngster Steve Parmenter.

Since arriving at Park Lane, front runner Parmenter has been like a breath of fresh air.

With experience in the Conference, he looks a player perfectly capable of turning it on at a much higher level.

Said King: "Steve has been tremendous for us and is turning out to be one of my best ever signings.

"He's given an extra dimension to our play and I certainly wouldn't swap him for some of the far better known front players I hear being mentioned as available for ridiculous amounts of money."

With Mel Capleton playing for Southend in their Essex Thames-side Trophy clash at Great Wakering tonight, former Millwall goalkeeper Brian Horne, now nearing full fitness, steps back between the sticks for Gulls.

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