TROJANS will be crowned English Hockey League Women's champions if they draw their final match of the season at bottom of the table Bradford on Saturday.

One point will be enough to secure the title for Trojans, who have swept to the top on the strength of five straight wins. Coach Louise Carter takes a full-strength squad of 13 players on the gruelling Friday evening 250 -mile slog to West Yorkshire.

"But the girls are in top spirits. We've had a wonderful run, losing only once since Christmas and now they want to finish things in style," the coach said.

But the Stoneham girls won't find Bradford ready to lay down and die.

"Bradford still have a slim chance of escaping relegation. If they beat us, Woking lose their last game, they could still wriggle out of it. They held us to a goal-less draw before Christmas and have since drawn with Loughborough students, so we know we have a match on our hands" Carter warned.

But Trojans are confident of victory on Bradford University's water based pitch and a passport back to the Premier Division elite, which they surrendered four years ago.

"We've finished either third or fourth for the past three years but have never been in a serious promotion position before now" coach Carter admitted.

Indeed, during a stuttering run up to Christmas, when they managed to score only one goal in three drawn games, Trojans looked as though they might miss out again. But since losing 2-1 to season long favourites Loughborough in February, Trojans have barely put a foot wrong.

In five straight wins they notched 16 goals, with Tamsin Pascoe and England teenage starlet Alex Danson each scoring three times in the last three wins. Nadine Devereux, Nyssa McNeil, Davinia Ablett, Laura Hudson, Lucy Steele and Judith Coe have all been on target in the past five games.

"It's good to have the goals shared around. It breeds confidence and ensures you're not over reliant on one person to score each time" Carter explained.

While Trojans have been sweeping everything before them - including nearest challengers Wimbledon 3-2, Loughborough have stumbled, tumbling clean out of the promotion race.

"The best they can manage is a play-off spot, but that will depend upon Wimbledon's result against Harleston Magpies, who we beat 2-0 a fortnight ago" Carter explained.

"But now it's all down to us. A draw at Bradford - I'd prefer a win - will be enough for us and, rest assured, we'll be putting in 110 per cent effort on Saturday lunchtime" Carter predicted.

Trojans squad: Sara Ellis, Tamsin Pascoe, Emma Teague, Judith Coe, Davinia Ablett, Nadine Devereux, Laura Hudson, Lucy Steele, Nyssa McNeil, Jane Greenham, Alison Wakefield, Steph Farmer, Alex Danson.