IF this was a test of where Saints are, and how much further they have to go before they get to where they want to be, then they can be pretty pleased.

It may well be hard for Alan Pardew and his side to feel that at the moment.

Such has been the impact the manager has had on the club that nobody is used to losing to any side, top or bottom.

So Saints will be smarting from defeat.

But as they tuck into their Christmas turkey and reflect, they should be quietly happy with the progress they have made.

Leeds deserve to be top of League One because they are the best side in the division – simple as that.

They have had a few years at this level assembling a side that can get them up automatically. And, in Simon Grayson, they have a top manager – just as Saints do.

The fact that Saints can pitch up at Elland Road and be disappointed to go away 1-0 losers is a mark of how far they’ve come.

Pardew is trying to build a team as good as Leeds in a few months rather than a few years.

And, on this evidence, whilst there is work to do, they are closer than they think.

Pardew did doff his cap to Leeds’ superiority in the build-up to the game, and probably rightly so.

But the nice thing about this Saints side is that, probably because the table is so deceptive due to the ten point deduction, they have no real idea of how far they’ve come.

Perhaps you need to have sat through some of the games over the past few years to fully appreciate it – that’s why the fans certainly do.

Pardew is nothing if not a perfectionist, though, and losing at Leeds will still not be good enough for him. But for Saints to expect to be as good as Leeds within the first half of the first season of Pardew’s tenure is ludicrous.

There is no harm aiming for it, always aim high.

However, Saints must not beat themselves up about the fact they couldn’t quite make it at this stage.

Leeds this season are the team Saints want to be next year.

If Saints can’t get up this season then they will want to be the bosses at the top of the division in the next campaign, with quality and consistency as their watchwords.

They are well on their way to achieving it.

In terms of where defeat leaves them in a general sense this season, well it’s no great drama.

The wins they have accrued in recent weeks meant they could come to Elland Road with a sense of freedom, feeling that a loss would not cost them too dearly.

However, for the sake of the season they will want to get back to winning ways at home to Exeter on Boxing Day to try and regain that momentum again.

There is no reason at all that they shouldn’t, just so long as they now put this one to the back of their minds and move on.

It’s not like the Brighton defeat, which deserved plenty of analysis.

This was two of the best teams in the division going head-to-head and, in the end, the team that has beaten most sides they’ve played this season and will get promoted just got the edge.

That’s it.

The game itself was always pretty tight and tense.

Leeds bossed possession for the most part as Saints made themselves compact and worked hard from back to front to limit any chances.

Being really critical, Saints never had their top passing game going and gave the ball away a little too often.

But there was nothing wrong at all with their application, concentration or commitment.

So often they forced Leeds to resort to direct balls, trying to get the pacy Jermaine Beckford in behind the not quite so quick pairing of Chris Perry and Radhi Jaidi.

However, their methods of doing it were pretty crude and two guys who have played at the top level such as these were wise to it.

Perry and Jaidi were outstanding and it said it all when Beckford was taken off midway through the second half.

The one time Leeds did get Beckford away was early on in the game but, as he burst into the area, Wayne Thomas put in a lung busting sprint to get back and the pressure he exerted forced the Leeds man to slip at the vital moment.

Saints had a few scary moments late in the first half as first Luciano Becchio and then Beckford were given free headers from left wing crosses in the box, but neither of them could find the target.

For their part Saints had always posed a quiet first half menace but never troubled Casper Ankergren.

Leeds came flying out at the start of the second period and Jonathan Howson’s half volley from the edge of the area forced Bartosz Bialkowski into a brilliant save diving away to his right.

As the game rolled on Saints were really starting to frustrate Leeds and their big crowd.

But just as you felt Saints were getting on top came a goal.

On 77 minutes Robert Snodgrass cut on to his right foot just inside the top left hand corner of the area and curled a beautiful shot into the far top corner.

Leeds almost instantly retreated to try and protect their lead and, as the game reached its closing moments, Saints were twice close to levelling.

The first opportunity right on the 90 minute mark saw sub Oscar Gobern given a free header from a corner six yards out, but he put his effort wide.

Then, three minutes into stoppage time, Saints had a good looking shout for a penalty.Michail Antonio burst into the box and appeared to be tripped.

Saints played on and Rickie Lambert’s shot was lifted across Ankergren but bounced agonisingly wide of the far post.

The referee didn’t go back and award the spot kick.

A rare defeat for Saints, but one that brings more positives with it than negatives. You cannot ask for much more than that.