WHILE the gulf in clubs maybe vast, the fine line between success and failure is marginal.

League One has been a great leveller for those more used to a seat at the top table, not least Southampton over the past two years.

Having seen their heroes hurtle from the Premier League to the third flight, most Saints followers have been forced to take a huge reality check.

Their tardy start to the current campaign – they were 22nd after seven games – saw them in danger of finally morphing from sleeping giant to comatose dwarf.

Cherries, meanwhile, have continued to raise more than a few eyebrows, sustaining their unlikely challenge in pursuit of back-to-back promotions.

The rise of the upstarts from along the south coast has not gone down well with every Saints supporter, even though most have tried to remain in denial of the rivalry.

A quick flick through the record books is evidence of how far one club has plummeted and how much another has prospered. Southampton fans will not need reminding.

Eight years ago, Saints remained unbeaten during March on their way to finishing eighth in the Premier League and also beat Wolves en route to booking a place in the final of the FA Cup.

At the same time, Cherries were losing to Rushden & Diamonds, York City and Cambridge United as they tried – ultimately, successfully – to claw their way out of the basement.

On Saturday, the first league meeting between the two at Dean Court for more than 50 years saw Cherries start the contest three points ahead of Saints. After 90 minutes of blood and thunder, but little in the way of quality, a victory for the visitors saw them erode the gap.

With little more than 32 miles between their respective grounds, these two clubs are worlds apart in terms of resources. But as an enthralling season reaches its climax, only goal difference separates them, with Saints leapfrogging Cherries courtesy of this win.

Cherries, however, will be kicking themselves because this was a missed opportunity. For all the perceived might of the visitors, their display was unconvincing and perhaps went some way to explaining just why they have failed to stamp their authority on League One.

Come the final whistle, how Cherries must have longed for another of those frustrating home draws. In truth, Saints won ugly and the scoreline flattered them, even if their manager Nigel Adkins had neither the humility nor the good grace to admit as much.

Asked whether 3-1 had been a fair reflection, Adkins replied: “Listen, we played Walsall the other day, had 27 shots at goal and got beaten 1-0. It’s about winning from here on in.”

Asked again whether the scoreline had been just, Adkins, who prefers to bang on about key performance indicators, process goals and debriefs, again seemed to miss the point: “We won 3-1 so there we go.”

Cherries boss Lee Bradbury understood: “I thought 3-1 flattered them. We were the better side for long periods and had our chances. If we keep performing like that, we will be okay.”

While Saints have claimed maximum points from their past three games, Cherries have collected only three, with back-to-back defeats seeing them drop out of the top two.

The pessimists will doubtless revel in Cherries’ misfortune, hoping their bubble has finally burst. However, the last time they lost two in a row, they followed up by winning three on the spin to start a sequence of one defeat in 14. With squeaky-bum time on the horizon, Cherries supporters will have everything crossed.

Controversy and calamity hogged the opening skirmishes as Lauri Dalla Valle and Lee Barnard exchanged goals inside the first 11 minutes.

Dalla Valle profited from one of the more bizarre assists of the season, the Finnish striker clipping a delightful shot past Kelvin Davis after an intended clearance had caught Saints defender Danny Butterfield on the side of the head and landed invitingly for the teenager, who was a good three yards offside.

Although World Cup final linesman Darren Cann flagged, referee Andre Marriner quickly overruled his assistant and the goal rightly stood.

Jason Pearce and Shwan Jalal, two of Cherries’ most consistent performers this season, were both culpable for the Saints equaliser, the Cherries goalkeeper betrayed by his own handling as the ball squirmed through his grasp after Barnard had met a Rickie Lambert cross.

With Radhi Jaidi and Jose Fonte doing their best Laurel and Hardy impressions at the heart of the Saints defence, the visitors looked vulnerable as Dalla Valle and Danny Ings led them a merry dance. Ings should have been awarded a penalty after Fonte had sent him sprawling in the 61st minute.

There was an element of good fortune as Saints forged ahead for the first time through Dean Hammond after 71 minutes, with Alex Chamberlain’s hopeful free kick passing through a crowded 18-yard box before reaching the midfielder at the far post.

And after Davis had pulled off a stunning save to push an Anton Robinson piledriver on to the crossbar, Lambert completed the scoring with a blistering free-kick from 25 yards, with question marks surrounding Cherries’ wall.

Saints were reduced to 10 men when substitute Oscar Gobern saw red following a dangerous high challenge on Shaun Cooper before Liam Feeney wasted a clear opening to make it 3-2 in injury time.

The final whistle was greeted with wild celebrations from visiting supporters, with players and management on the Saints bench jumping up as if they had won the cup final.