Spurs 6 Wanderers 0: TWO games in the space of nine days at the same venue said all there is to be said about Wanderers' priorities.

A week ago Sam Allardyce and his players were smarting after being denied a point by Teddy Sheringham's late winner in a pulsating Premiership duel. Last night, after being hit for six in the Worthington Cup, they were philosophical.

No points were dropped and anyway, who cares about this competition? Apart from offering fringe players a rare taste of first team football, it has served only to hinder and distract.

Allardyce made it clear long before announcing his team that, despite being just 90 minutes away from the semi-finals, he was indifferent to the glory and the trappings of winning the competition that is being more maligned and less respected with every passing year. Europe? Just look at the problems the UEFA Cup has caused Ipswich this season.

But surely, two rounds away from Wemb... er, Cardiff. One look at the teamsheet made it patently clear that was of no consequence.

So Spurs marched on and the reluctant quarter-finalists said "Good riddance! Now we can concentrate on the Premiership."

If it is the case that Wanderers can, as their manager maintains, put such a humiliating defeat behind them then the White Hart Lane walloping could indeed prove a blessing in disguise.

But there is a danger that morale may have suffered and that the strategy of fielding what has effectively been a "shadow" team throughout the competiton - justified by the victories over Walsall, Nottingham Forest and Southampton in previous rounds - may have backfired.

Those who were either rested or not considered last night - the likes of Gudni Bergsson, Simon Charlton, Paul Warhurst, Kevin Nolan, Michael Ricketts - might not have had their confidence undermined directly by the spanking but no player, involved or not, takes kindly to seeing his team-mates humiliated as Wanderers were as Spurs - at full-strength apart from the ineligible Dean Richards and the injured Christian Zeige - ran riot in the most impressive fashion.

And what of those who were playing for first team places - the ones Allardyce had suggested he was considering for elevation to his Premiership Xl when he hinted at changes after Saturday's defeat at Derby?

Being hit for six can hardly have done much for the confidence of Nicky Southall, Colin Hendry, Gareth Farrelly, Jermaine Johnson and, in particular, Bruno N'Gotty and Akinori Nishizawa who were hauled off at half-time with Wanderers trailing 4-0 - Les Ferdinand having helped himself to a hat-trick of headers in a devastating nine minute spell after Simon Davies had started the rout.

The damage limitation exercise of the second half with Mike Whitlow offering Hendry a hand at the back and Ricardo Gardner adding a little spice in midfield stemmed the tide up to a point. But an unfortunate mix-up between Anthony Barness and Jussi Jaaskelainen ended with the full-back knocking in Sergei Rebrov's cross for an embarrassing own goal then Stefan Iversen rounded things off with an easy finish after Jaaskelainen and Hendry had done well to block successive Darren Anderton shots.

TThough the keeper was no blameless for the own goal and will not have enjoyed being on the receiving end of suich a caning, Wanderers had the big Finn to thank for preventing Spurs reaching double figures.

Apart from giving Henrik Pedersen a full 90 minutes after a 10-week lay-off following abdominal surgery, Wanderers drew no benefit from last night's exercise.

"It was a chance for everyone to stake a claim," Barness reflected ruefully, his ears still ringing from Allardyce's half-time blast, "and I don't think that's gone to plan.

"I thought we were doing okay to begin with and never expected what came. We fell to pieces and that's something that can't happen.

"They had other chances as well. We should have shut up shop and kept ourselves tight but there was a bit of naivety I think. We kept trying to play the same way, even though we were getting battered.

"When you get a bad result it's all about showing some character and doing it right in the next game.

"There are going to be big changes again but whoever is selected from this team has got to put this behind them."