Despite the absence of Marcus Stewart, goal scorer in the first leg and likely to be a Sunderland player by the weekend, Town destroyed the Avenir part-timers with five goals in the first-half, and a further three in the second.

Stewart, whose 90th minute strike at the Stade Josy Barthel two-weeks gave Town a slender lead from the first leg, may have rather ironically been centre-spread in tonight's match progamme, but spent the day up on Weerside to discuss personal terms with the Mackems.

Whether George Burley can afford to lose Stewart in Town's promotion push remains to be seen but certainly tonight he was more than adaquetly replaced by the forward partnership of Pablo Counago and Marcus Bent.

It was midfielder Tommy Miller, however, who started the scoring after just three minutes.

Counago picked up on a defensive mistake by the Luxembourg outfit, passed the ball forward to Miller who slid the ball home from 10 yards out. From then on there was only ever going to be one winner.

Fifteen minutes later and Counago scored his first of the evening to make it two-nil. Bent escaped the attentions of a defender, fed the ball to Counago, who side-footed the ball home from close range.

And just three minutes later the rout was well and truly on as Miller and Counago added goals three and four. First Counago centred and Miller back heeled the ball into the corner of the net, then Miller repayed the compliment with a cross to Counago who found the back of the net with ease.

The fifth Town goal was added just before half-time, when Wayne Brown headed home Jim Magilton's cross.

Would Town take their foot of the pedal - with a league encounter with Preston to consider in a few days time - in the second half ?

Initially yes, as it was Avenir who scored next, as Molitor struck home a shot from just inside the penalty area. The goal received a generous round of applause from the 17,500 crowd but jolted the home side back into action again.

Just minutes later Fabian Wilnis had a shot well saved by the Avenir 'keeper but John McGreal was on hand to slot home the rebound.

The site of the Avenir Beggen female Physiotherapist running across the playing surface to attend to a number of injuries to the visitor predicatably raised a commotion, and the odd cat call, before Counago completed his hat-trick with fifteen minutes left, hitting the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Darren Ambrose and Finidi George, introduced as subs in the later stages, combined well for the eigth and final goal of the night, with the former turning home the laters cross with eleven minutes left.