AN INTERNAL memo on the subject of escape routes was discarded in the main entrance of Dean Court on Saturday, but sadly Sean O'Driscoll's players were not copied in on the correspondence.

As the final whistle sounded following another potentially disastrous defeat which plunged Cherries back into the bottom four, the fat lady, as the saying goes, could be heard clearing her throat.

And should O'Driscoll's beleaguered troops suffer another reverse against resurgent relegation rivals Notts County on Easter Saturday, the Meadow Lane melody will take on a very sombre tone for visiting fans.

This latest setback has left Cherries' destiny in the hands of others and as the five-horse race for the Division Two stragglers reaches the home straight, the Battle for Survival Stakes is really hotting-up.

Three of the five also-rans will be condemned to the knacker's yard otherwise known as Division Three, while the two who get their noses in front at the winning line which separates 20th from 21st will live to fight another season.

The form guide indicates the contest will go to the wire, although Cherries' dismal away record suggests they will need to find a dramatic turn of foot during their final two games on home turf against Colchester and Chesterfield.

Cherries made an enterprising start against Bristol City with James Hayter volleying just past the post and Wade Elliott seeing another effort deflected for a corner inside the opening eight minutes.

Former Dean Court star Steve Robinson was the first name in referee Barry Knight's notebook when he was yellow carded for a foul on Warren Feeney before Mark Lever and Shaun Maher followed suit after some argy-bargy at a free kick.

Knight, the man some Cherries fans reckon the Football Association unearthed at a car boot sale, infuriated both sets of supporters by awarding a succession of disputed free kicks in another controversial appearance at Dean Court.

The bumbling official missed a blatant infringement by Lee Peacock who started a 27th-minute move by controlling the ball with his hand before he finished it by glancing a header over the crossbar from Mickey Bell's cross.

Earlier, Eddie Howe's important block had denied Peacock, while Stephen Cooke clipped a right-foot drive over the woodwork following neat work by the impressive Elliott who caused City no end of problems in the first half.

However, it was Scott Murray, Elliott's opposite number on the right flank for City, whose surging run down the wing led to the visitors taking the lead against the run of play from the penalty spot in the 34th minute.

Firstly, Murray profited when fellow Scotsman Keiran McAnespie appeared to stumble as he prepared to make a tackle before the City livewire was unceremoniously felled by a rather clumsy challenge from Jason Tindall.

Referee Knight had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and the resultant penalty was emphatically dispatched with venom into the roof of Cherries goalkeeper Gareth Stewart's net by the trusty left foot of Bell.

Cherries were rocked again just two minutes before half-time when Lee Matthews flicked Tommy Doherty's corner into the path of Robinson whose close range shot was parried to Peacock who in turn bundled home number two.

With his side staring down the barrel at the interval, Cherries boss O'Driscoll must have cast envious eyes over the City substitutes and must have contemplated asking to borrow Tony Thorpe for the second half.

The £1m former Luton and Fulham hitman, who is currently in dispute with the club over a new contract, has netted more goals in the past four months than the entire Cherries bench have scored in their careers.

But scoreline apart, O'Driscoll was more than happy with his side's first-half display and kept faith with his starting line-up, assembled at a cost of £15,000 and including six free transfers, two loan players and two from the youth ranks.

Big-money signing Elliott almost gifted City a third goal at the start of the second half when he lost possession to Peacock who was denied by a fine reaction save from Stewart.

Cherries were convinced they had won a penalty when Louis Carey tripped Hayter in the 57th minute, but referee Knight decided to award them only a free kick, despite appearing to place the ball on the 18-yard line.

City, in a rather unsporting gesture, decided to form a defensive wall which failed to part when McAnespie stepped forward to strike and, after the ball had rebounded to Cooke, he dragged the follow-up wide.

Seconds later, an informed spectator, who stewards could be forgiven for thinking was the referees' assessor, strolled on to the pitch unchallenged to explain some of the basic rules of the game to Knight.

Following the bizarre interlude, the game continued and City goalkeeper Steve Phillips made a superb save after Feeney had been sent scampering clear by Tindall's long clearance over the top.

Chances fell to both sides with Peacock clipping the top of the crossbar with a header, Feeney blasting wide after Elliott had threaded a through ball into his path and Howe denied following a frantic goalmouth scramble.

Elliott also flashed a header past the woodwork from Maher's centre and the former Bashley man saw his cross from the right nodded against the bar by substitute Brian Stock before McAnespie steered home the rebound.

McAnespie's injury-time strike would have set up a grandstand finish had it not been for Thorpe who restored City's two-goal lead almost immediately.

Thorpe, who would have been flagged offside had the linesman been watching, made the most of his three-yard advantage over the Cherries defence before rounding Stewart to complete the scoring.

RELEGATION RUN-IN

CHERRIES: Notts County (a), Colchester (h), Port Vale (a), Chesterfield (h), Wrexham (a).

NORTHAMPTON: Bury (h), Reading (a), Wycombe (h), Wigan (a), Cambridge (h).

NOTTS COUNTY: Cherries (h), QPR (a), Blackpool (h), Cardiff (a), Huddersfield (h).

BURY: Northampton (a), Brentford (h), Bristol C (a), Colchester (h), Peterborough (a).

WREXHAM: Huddersfield (h), Blackpool (a), Cambridge (h), Stoke (a), Cherries (h).

CAMBRIDGE: Oldham (a), Chesterfield (h), Wrexham (a), Swindon (h), Tranmere (h), Northampton (a).