AFTER watching Commandos from the Royal Marines storm the Liberty Stadium, the jubilant Red Army saw Cherries sink Spaniard Roberto Martinez's all-conquering Armada.

Stationed in a corner of the ground, 226 travelling supporters were treated to an engrossing finale as Kevin Bond's troops successfully completed the latest stage of their mission improbable.

With time running out on Cherries' survival hopes, it was a daring raid and one which nobody could have predicted, not least a local commentator from the BBC.

As the clock ticked, and with the hosts leading 1-0 thanks to Andy Robinson's 50th-minute goal, the reporter informed his listeners that "there is no way the Swans won't win this". And while his statement may have been both presumptuous and premature, he did have a point.

For 75 minutes, Cherries had offered precious little in attack and had relied on a staunch rearguard action, superbly marshalled by the outstanding Josh Gowling, to restrict the South Walians.

And on the occasions when their defensive lines were breached, the visitors had been thankful to the heroics of on-loan Cardiff City goalkeeper David Forde for keeping the contest alive.

However, Cherries were left staring down the barrel of a fifth successive away defeat after the diminutive Robinson had been afforded the freedom of the 18-yard box.

A continuing inability to defend set-pieces has been a recurring theme this season and Robinson was the latest benefactor as the eminently avoidable goals conceded tally increased.

The lively winger picked his spot to notch his ninth - and easiest - goal of the season when he nonchalantly headed home unopposed after meeting Tommy Butler's corner.

"I was absolutely raging with the way we conceded the goal," said Forde. "I was screaming at a couple of the boys to pick him up but nobody did."

Chants of "that's why we're top of the league" greeted the goal, while news that Doncaster were trailing at Huddersfield sparked the start of the promotion party among the home crowd.

Earlier, and after Cyril the Swan had joined the Marines by abseiling into the ground before kick-off, the hosts had also enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges.

They should have settled any nerves by scoring in the ninth minute when the intriguingly named Angel Rangel fired wastefully wide after galloping into the box.

It was the clearest chance of a largely forgettable first half, although Cherries hearts were again in their mouths when Darryl Duffy looked to seize on Lee Bradbury's under-hit backpass before Forde came to the rescue on the stroke of half-time.

For the record, neither Duffy nor Swans' 29-goal leading marksman Jason Scotland had another sniff.

Although opportunities were scarce for Cherries, Shaun Cooper should have done better after Dorus de Vries had fumbled Darren Anderton's free kick, his sliced follow-up peppering the crowd.

A display of unarmed combat by the Marines thrilled the crowd during the interval, while the PA announcer's Norman Collier impression with his intermittent microphone also provided a source of entertainment.

For the travelling supporters, their £5.30 toll to cross the Severn Bridge must have seemed like good money wasted after Cherries' display of unmarked combat had allowed Robinson to break the deadlock five minutes after the restart.

A stunning triple save from Forde to deny Robinson, Febian Brandy and Butler, all within the space of 30 seconds, was, however, worth the entrance fee alone.

The goalkeeper's inspired hat-trick kept Cherries in the hunt and seemed to give them a second wind.

Immediately after our man from the BBC had predicted that "there is no way the Swans won't win this", Brett Pitman almost made him eat his words when his delightful curling effort soared narrowly over the angle of post and crossbar.

Cooper again failed to hit the target following a well-worked corner routine before Cherries' plight prompted a witty chorus from the away supporters of "que sara sara, whatever will be will be, we're going to Shrewsbury!".

The prospect of a trip to the New Meadow clearly had a profound effect on Bond's charges, although had Guillem Bauza not poked wide of a gaping goal in the 88th minute, it could have been curtains for the visitors. And after Jo Kuffour's deft chip had come crashing back off the crossbar in the 89th minute, they could have been forgiven for thinking it was not going to be their day.

But to mark the 203rd anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, the fairy tale of Swansea then unfolded.

It started with Wales under-19 skipper Joe Partington, who turned 18 on Tuesday, climbing highest to nod home Warren Cummings's corner. Although Swans appealed in vain for a foul on de Vries, Partington's maiden effort appeared to have earned Cherries an unlikely share of the spoils.

Partington, on as an 87th-minute sub for Anderton, said: "I scored with my head earlier this season for Wales but don't remember anything about it because I got knocked out! I'll remember this one!"

Boss Bond said: "We needed to decide whether to batten down the hatches and try to hang on to what we had or just keep it going. There wasn't long left so we kept it as it was and thankfully got another one, which was more than we could have expected."

The Cherries dugout, a small section of the directors' box and one corner of the Liberty Stadium erupted after Kuffour had swept home Pitman's cross to seal the points deep into stoppage time.

Pitman's assist was arguably the best piece of skill in the match, while the final few minutes will go down as among the most momentous ever witnessed by the 226 Red Army members.

The dream lives on.