IT'S AMAZING what a difference a bit of luck can make.

Saints have had precisely none whatsoever on their travels so far this season.

There have been unfortunate goals conceded, blatant penalties turned down and more than a few decisions that have cost them points.

And that is not to mention the times they have outplayed teams and come away with nothing.

Saturday's good point was not down to a lucky performance, rather a lucky goal - the kind that has been flying in the Saints net this season.

It was an impressive display from Saints in every department, and if there was a team that deserved to win it was George Burley's men.

It's been a curious mix with Saints this season.

They have often played so well away from home but not picked up the points - for example at Ipswich, a game that even now you struggle to believe they actually lost.

At home their performances have not been as good but they have ground out results.

Why that is, is open for debate.

There is no doubt the way the opposition set themselves up has a lot to do with it.

When teams come to St Mary's they get men behind the ball, crowd the midfield and stop Saints from playing - it's one instance where they suffer for being a passing, attacking team rather than a more direct side.

When Saints are away they generally play against sides that are more open, which leaves them extra time and space on the ball.

Maybe it is a pressure thing as well. Away from home you do not have the expectant crowd to worry about if things start going wrong.

Against Sunderland you could only really pick up two faults in the entire performance.

One was that, yet again, they did not turn their dominance into more goals to come away with the victory.

The other was that they were a little narrow at times.

Both Rudi Skacel and Mario Licka tend to drift inside, which is sometimes no bad thing as you can compact the centre of midfield and stop your opponents from playing.

On the left it is not a problem because Gareth Bale gets by on the overlap.

He provides natural width and in that respect Skacel tucking in actually becomes a bonus.

On the right it is more problematic as Chris Makin is defensively very sound but is not that kind of attacking full-back, so without Nathan Dyer they lack width down that wing.

That is the negatives over because there were not really any others.

It was a good display, committed and with quality abundant.

Roy Keane is only just starting to shape his Sunderland side and, while they are no world beaters, he has got some good footballers in there.

Both teams kept the ball down and knocked it about - a refreshing change after having so many stifled games recently where one team is trying to spoil the other from playing.

The match was not really littered with clear cut chances.

But there were plenty of half chances - shots from 20 yards, crosses into the box.

Dyer got across his man well at the near post on 23 minutes but missed the target, while Darren Ward made a good save from Skacel just before the half-hour mark.

Ward had to make another decent stop before the break while Saints' mean defence and compact midfield limited Sunderland to just one opening in the first half, Dean Whitehead making a mess of his finish after meeting a low cross.

It seemed like it was going to be an action replay of so many games this season when Sunderland snatched the lead.

It was, rather predictably bearing in mind the game up to that point, from a free kick.

Ross Wallace curled a central free kick from 25 yards out round the wall and into Kelvin Davis' bottom left-hand corner.

And it really seemed it was going to be another luckless away day when Pele's header from Andrew Surman's cross was stopped by an incredible save from Ward down to his right.

He palmed the ball up and on to the bar, it deflected down and hit the inside of the post and somehow bounced out and was cleared.

But, after Davis had made his first meaningful save of the game from Stephen Elliott to keep his side in it, Saints at last got a bit of luck.

With only seconds of normal time remaining Bale, brilliant all afternoon, broke into the box and fired at goal.

Ward looked to be behind it but it struck Steve Caldwell on the inside of his leg and deflected into the opposite corner.

They say it all evens itself out over the course of the season.

And maybe, just maybe, the worm has turned for Saints.