By Vicki Hodges

Tilson (l) and Parkinson guided their respective sides to glory

The rest of the Championship should beware next season - the Essex boys are out to get them.

Southend and Colchester will be mixing it with the big guns and out to prove that Essex is much more than just the white-van drivers and girls dancing around their handbags they have become stereotyped with.

Grays and Dagenham have also given the region a good name in the Conference League where they have been throwing their weight around.

But spare a thought for the one blot on the rosy outlook of Essex's landscape - that of Canvey Island who have been forced to resign from the Conference.

BBC Sport charts the highs which have made Essex a footballing force to sit up and notice.

After gaining promotion to League One in 2004/05, the Shrimpers did more than hold their own in the division as they pipped Colchester to the title to secure back-to-back promotions.

Freddy Eastwood may have scored 25 goals in all competitions along the way. But the Professional Footballers' Association recognised that Southend are not a one-man team by naming a trio of Shrimpers players in their League One team of the year - excluding a certain 25-year-old striker.

Darryl Flahavan, Adam Barrett and Kevin Maher were Southend's representatives, while Colchester's Greg Halford and Neil Danns also figured in the top XI.

Eastwood has scored 49 goals for the Shrimpers in the last two seasons

Shrimpers boss Steve Tilson, who has guided the club through their last two promotions, reflected on the highlights.

"Our number one aim was to stay in the league after we got promoted. It was important that we didn't come straight back down.

"We brought in Shaun Goater - who did a tremendous job both on and off the field - but our work ethic and our team spirit has been second to none.

"We haven't got any major stars but every successful side needs a top goalscorer and obviously Freddy has got a vast amount of goals this season.

"None of the other players see Freddy as a major star. Everyone gets on so well and works hard for each other."

For a club that were favourites for relegation before a ball was kicked, the U's did not get matters off to the best of starts securing just one win from their opening eight League games.

It was a similar tale for Southend who secured one victory from their first six contests.

But Colchester, led by up-and-coming manager Phil Parkinson turned their season on its head.

An emotional Kevin Watson celebrates with the boss

Their charge up the League One table worked wonders for their cup form.

They almost had one hand on the Football League Trophy but lost their Southern Area final to Swansea. And they were only knocked out of the FA Cup in the fifth-round following a defiant showing against Premiership champions Chelsea.

The hype surrounding their Stamford Bridge showing may have thrown them slightly off track in the league, but it didn't prevent them from reaching the second tier of English football for the first time in their 69-year history.

Parkinson has received many plaudits for the club's success, but he said: "It's come down to a lot of hard work from everybody at the club. The local paper in Colchester said it was against the odds, but we made it happen by working hard.

"We have a great spirit here and team success breeds individual success. I'm delighted for the whole of Essex - it's a massive boost for the area. The grounds are sure to be packed week-in week-out next season."

Grays and Dagenham have been flying the non-league flag for Essex following their promotion from the Conference South.

While Dagenham achieved a mid-table finish, Grays won the FA Trophy for the second season running, and crashed out of the play-off semi-finals.

The only sour note has been the demise of Canvey who have been forced to pull out of the Conference after club owner Jeff King's decision to withdraw his investment.

Canvey will ply their trade in the Ryman League premier division next season.

Stimson (r) resigned after Grays' FA Trophy triumph

Canvey's plight had been overshadowed by the success of Grays, however.

Mark Stimson guided the club to their third-place finish and Trophy triumph, before haning in his notice in his bid to manage a league club.

The former Southend player was happy to do his bit to boost Essex football, though.

He said: "Before the season began I wanted us to finish in the top 10. But because we finished in the play-offs and lost we were distraught.

"Essex is again on the map, we did our bit for the non-league football while Colchester and Southend did it in the League.

"We tried to do it in the Conference but we couldn't make that final push."