CRAIG DAVID last night just missed out on a third number one when his latest release Rise & Fall went straight into the charts at number two.

The punk-trance hit Loneliness by Tomcraft took top spot, seeing off the twin new entries of Rise & Fall and Ronan Keating's new offering The Long Goodbye, which stands at number three.

For Saints fan Craig, he will be hoping the single, which features Sting on the track, will sell well in the shops this week and make number one next Sunday, in time for the FA Cup Final six days' later.

It has been a phenomenal rise to success for Craig, from Southampton's Holyrood council estate to multi-platinum selling artist.

He already has two number ones to his name, and the success of Rise & Fall will certainly help to swell his bank account - the 21-year-old was recently listed on the Sunday Times' Rich List as having already amassed an £8million fortune.

Craig, who now spends most of his time in London, is back in this country after spending 18 months and two gruelling tours trying to crack the lucrative American market.

The singer, who is a former pupil of Bellemoor School in Shirley, was last night performing at Dublin Castle having played two sell-out dates at London's Royal Albert Hall.

He is lined up to play a star-studded concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena on May 14 alongside Blue, Atomic Kitten, Busted, Mis-teeq, Girls Aloud and Liberty X.

Rise & Fall follows Fill Me In and 7 Days which both reached number one in 2000, and this is his seventh consecutive top-ten single.

The R&B star has described Rise & Fall as one of his most important and emotive singles to date. It is a collaboration with the rock star Sting, who appears on the single.

In an interview on his official website, www.craigdavid.co.uk, Craig said: "Rise & Fall is about an artist who has come into the industry and gone through the ups and downs of life.

"He's been caught in a downward spiral of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. Sting is the wiser, elder figure and his contribution to Rise & Fall is incredible. I have unfailing respect for him."

The song was written by Craig and Rise & Fall originally just sampled the guitar riff from Sting's 1993 hit, Shape of My Heart.

The Southampton superstar sent his version to Sting for approval, and was delighted when Sting not only cleared the sample but suggested the two of them get together to record the track.

Despite the success, Craig hasn't forgotten his Southampton roots and though he will be in Las Vegas on May 17, he will be backing Saints in the FA Cup final against Arsenal.

In a recent interview with the Echo, Craig revealed how he comes back to see his mum, Tina, whenever he can, and his old haunts.

He said: "Whenever I come home I borrow my mum's car and do a little trip around Southampton, usually at night or in the early evening. I like to see the different places I used to go to.

"It would be wicked to be invisible, like in that film The Hollow Man and to be able to see what's going on in Southampton.

"The one thing I would love to do is to walk along the High Street and see all the places I used to hang out."

Craig wore his red and white striped Saints shirt at the Royal Albert Hall last week, and the one-time regular at The Dell added: "Fingers crossed that Saints will be holding the FA Cup and Arsenal will be left wondering what hit them."

Craig, who managed to get close up and personal to the FA Cup last week for a photo shoot, said: "I gave the cup a kiss for good luck and I dedicate every show to the squad -they've got what it takes."