BASINGSTOKE Town will once again have a chance to influence the league championship title race, when second-placed Canvey Island visit the Camrose tomorrow.

The Essex outfit are currently two points behind Gravesend and Northfleet, who leap-frogged Canvey after winning their game in hand.

Town halted Gravesend's push for the top spot last Saturday after holding them to a 0-0 draw.

Despite this, however, the Kent side went top on Tuesday night after a 2-1 win over Hampton and Richmond.

With only three games left in the campaign, and having lost on Saturday at home to Grays, Canvey will be keen to bounce back to winning ways tomorrow.

So the game, sponsored by The Gazette, looks set to be an exciting encounter, but Town will be equal to the task.

The last league game at the Camrose saw Town record an impressive 1-1 draw against top-five-placed Aldershot, which means Canvey and their travelling fans will be nervous about the trip to Basingstoke.

Town will be minus one of their top defenders as Jason Bristow has not recovered from the twisted knee he sustained in Kent on Saturday.

Chris Honor, who was not risked on Saturday due to a knee injury, returns to the squad, as does fellow defender Tom Foster who came through the reserves' 6-2 win at Met Police on Wednesday.

In the same reserve game, both Sean Gorman and Glen Howes played the whole 90 minutes, so Ernie Howe has a few options before naming his team for another title-deciding game.

Howe said: "We know they are a good team and they will come here looking for the win, which should make it a great game of football, especially for the fans."

But Canvey had best be aware that Basingstoke will fight for the points tomorrow.

Howe added: "We will look to do a professional job and keep our own little run going. We have some good players at this club and in a game like this they can prove it."

Town (from): Tarr, Baker, Forbes, Foster, Honor, Wilkinson, Lisk, Davis, Cook, Eaton, McAllister, Hayfield, Gorman, Howes, Girdler.