WHILE the league table may never lie, results can sometimes fail to tell the whole truth.

Cherries are deservedly propping up League One and battling to avoid the drop having gleaned a paltry 20 points from 25 games.

However, unlike the majority of their 14 previous defeats, this agonising reverse was ill deserved as Kevin Bond's men became the victims of another twilight robbery.

For the third match in succession - and for the fifth time this season - Cherries surrendered potentially priceless points in the closing stages to an avoidable goal.

Lightning struck twice as Dave Bird's header saw Cherries downed by a stoppage-time winner for the second season on the trot at Whaddon Road.

Six points adrift of safety, the seven they have squandered to Port Vale, Walsall, Swindon, Brighton, and now Cheltenham, would have put their heads just above water.

But while Bond's defenders have often taken the rap for Cherries' shortcomings, his attackers must surely shoulder the blame for this latest beating.

Profligate in the extreme, Cherries wasted enough chances to have won three matches, never mind just this crucial six-pointer.

It was the lethal cocktail that Bond and Cherries could well have done without - firing blanks at one end while their competitors registered a bull's-eye checkout at the other.

But had Cherries not endured a cow-and-banjo day in front of goal, Cheltenham's decider should have been a mere consolation, as Bond was at pains to point out.

"It was ridiculous," opined the beleaguered Cherries boss.

"We must have had about 15 shots but hardly hit the target. We got into so many good positions and didn't make the most of them. From where I was sitting, all that counted for absolutely nothing."

Victory saw the Robins edge four points clear of Cherries, while the gap between the two clubs has narrowed significantly in the past 10 years. And unless the Cherries board can secure a deal to bring in much-needed investment, the gulf could become insurmountable.

When Cherries went into receivership in January 1997, Cheltenham were competing against the likes of Gresley, Halesowen and Gloucester in the Southern League.

The Robins replaced Scarborough in the Football League in 1999 and have continued their rise, despite swapping places with Cherries in 2003 following relegation from the third tier.

Scarborough's demise, however, provides a stark reminder of how quickly things can change. One of the oldest clubs in England, they were wound up in the summer with debts of £2.5m.

Cherries' precarious position at the foot of League One pales into insignificance compared with the club's perilous financial situation.

Fortunately though, a scarcity of updates regarding the "ongoing" discussions with potential investors can only be a good thing - no news is good news, as the saying goes.

It would appear then that the threat of administration is not as pressing as some Cherries followers fear and talk of incurring a 10-point deduction is perhaps premature.

Cherries chairman Jeff Mostyn, in his final programme notes of 2007, wrote: "I know many of you will be delighted at the thought that 2008 cannot be as traumatic as this year has been. I have to say, with no hesitation, that I share this view."

In footballing terms, trauma comes in many forms and Cherries fans probably think they have had their fill of bad luck for the year in the first two games.

At Cheltenham, they created a hatful of early chances and could have been out of sight in the first 15 minutes.

And having been forced to make six changes to his starting line-up, Bond must have been torn between contentment and frustration as Cherries' dominance failed to reap reward.

With new signing Jo Tessem - the 31st different player used by Bond this season - oozing class in the middle of the park, Cherries were rampant.

And such was their super-iority that the visiting fans must have thought it would only be a matter of time before they would score.

Their £18 looked like money well spent as efforts from Brett Pitman, Danny Hollands, Jo Kuffour and Lee Bradbury rained in on the Town goal during the opening skirmishes.

But, for all their pressure, Cherries were also guilty of failing to seriously test Shane Higgs, the Robins goalkeeper hardly breaking sweat as he lapped up a spot of shooting practice.

And, the longer Cherries went without scoring, the more likely it would be that the hosts would eventually find their feet. Enter, Gareth Stewart.

The Cherries goalkeeper distinguished himself by making the two best saves of the first half, his agility twice denying Robins striker Steven Gillespie.

Cherries' shooting boots again deserted them for much of the second half, with Kuffour errant with their clearest opening 11 minutes from time when he blazed his effort over the crossbar.

The dagger through the heart came when Bird and Neil Young challenged for Alex Russell's corner deep into added time. And although Young said he got the final touch, it was no surprise that Bird, with four goals in 188 previous games, was so keen to claim the goal.

As Cherries left the pitch with Ken Dodd's Happiness' blaring from the Tannoy, their mood did not appear to match the song. Roll on the rest of 2008!