JUBILANT Braintree Town boss Rod Stringer has reassured Chelmsford fans that he will be doing all he can to give his neighbours a helping hand when they host Welling United today.

It will be party time at Cressing Road with the presentation of the Blue Square Bet South trophy coming after today’s match (3pm ko).

But Stringer believes it is only fair that his side continue to be professional with Welling one of Chelmsford’s main rivals for a play-off spot.

With two games left, City, who host Bromley today, lie seventh, a point adrift of the top five. But the right set of results would see them leapfrog Welling and possibly into the play-off zone going into Saturday’s final game of the season.

Braintree have no such worries after their nearest rivals Farnborough lost on Saturday meaning Town will be playing conference football next season for the first time in their history.

Stringer said: “It has been a crazy journey but the boys have been fantastic. We only aimed this year to finish in a respectable position but to win the league and be playing in the Blue Square Bet Premier next season is a remarkable achievement,

“It will be a great day for everyone today but we won’t just roll over. I feel we owe it to the likes of Chelmsford and Woking to go out there and respect the game of football. We want to win.”

After Braintree had beaten Hampton and Richmond on Good Friday, Stringer, who only joined the club at the start of this season, revealed he followed events at Farnborough’s match against Woking on the internet.

News of the surprise 2-1 home defeat came just five minutes after Braintree’s reserve team clinched the Ridgeons Reserve League South Division.

And while Stringer was mindful of the play-off permutations of today’s game, he added: “Our supporters have been fantastic, right throughout the season, and I hope they enjoy the party.”

Chairman Lee Harding said: “The league table today does not lie - Rod Stringer’s team are where they deserve to be and what Rod and the lads have achieved is truly remarkable. The coming months and years will see many challenges for our club, but we look forward to them with anticipation.“