The wearer may no longer be a sheet metal worker's son from Gosforth, but Obafemi Martins has Alan Shearer's knack of donning the number nine shirt and sending a European crowd home with some tangible reward on a night that otherwise fell firmly into the instantly forgettable category.

This isn't the first time in recent seasons that we've come up against the most moderate and unadventurous of opponents when seeking to build on a first leg lead at SJP - yet failed to record the expected resounding victory, seemingly lowering our standards to match those of the visitors, who were more Yeading than Reading.

As he had done against Levadia Tallinn though, Martins took what chances came his way and put the tie to bed, allowing us the briefest of reflections before we move on to what looks like a genuine test of our UEFA Cup credentials.

Glenn Roeder spoke after the game of an eagerness to pit his wits against AZ coach van Gaal, as this competition finally slips into gear after eight months and a mere dozen games.

However, the Magpies boss will be mindful of the fact that the Tyneside leg comes first before we cross the North Sea to face Alkmaar, who can broadly boast of having never lost a European tie at either their old 8,000 or new 16,000 capacity stadia.

Quite simply, we need to take a lead of sorts to Holland - and with a miserly seven goals in six home ties to date, that may prove to be something of challenge

And although Roeder was otherwise engaged helping Chris Waddle struggle at Burnley a decade ago, messrs Given and Srnicek can remind him of the night Van Gaal came to Tyneside and lost, but then masterminded a vital 1-0 win for Barcelona later in the same Champions League group.

Nobody would suggest that the Dutch side founded only 40 years ago are in the same bracket as the Catalonian giants, but like Guus Hiddink's PSV three years ago, AZ are obviously no mugs.

Van Gaal may no longer have the likes of Figo, Luis Enrique and Rivaldo at his disposal, but has enough talent in his ranks to have seen Roeder present in the stands when their season began back in August with a kickabout against Arsenal.   

Back to tonight's game though and the appearance of Luque for the hamstrung Sibierski dampened hopes of a goal glut, with memories of his lumbering 59 minute non-display in Frankfurt still fresh.

And despite playing on home soil against a weakened side of part-timers, our own part-timer showed little inclination to get involved, appearing blind to the presence of Martins. 

And by the time the Spaniard was hauled off in this game, even his colleagues seemed glad to see the back of him, with our goal following within minutes of his saunter to the dressing room. 

His teenage replacement Andy Carroll may be raw, but at least he shows some desire and fight.....

In fairness Luque wasn't the sole offender, as our bright opening failed to produce a goal - Taylor's early header off the line the closest we came.

After that though we quickly settled into safe mode - Dyer and Duff in particular frustrating with their own respective soft shoe shuffle routines and our game plan again consisting of the aimless forward ball.

With Waregem packing their midfield it seemed obvious that our wide men would be key, even if we only had height in the box for set pieces - something that doesn't stop Martins from getting his head on crosses when they come anywhere near him.

Although he saw a lot of the ball, Milner had an unproductive night, while Duff seemed equally uninterested down either flank.

That changed after the break though, as the Irishman visibly upped his effort levels and broke into something approaching a gallop - presumably after some-well placed words in the dressing room.

It was Duff's pass that set up the goal and although Martins was irritatingly offside on a number of occasions when we tried to repeat the feat, that proved to be enough against a much-changed opposition lineup from the first leg.  

As in the first game though, Waregem showed some moments of invention and Bramble was called upon to make couple of last-ditch face-saving tackles - although giving him the man of the match for doing so was slightly OTT. There again there weren't many candidates......... 
     
The end result was all-important of course, but the watching Wigan boss will have gone back to prepare for Sunday's game with renewed optimism, while the report that the AZ scout compiles will hardly have the Dutch quaking in their clogs.

On a night when the promised presentation of the Intertoto Trophy failed to materialise, we did enough to maintain our interest in the UEFA Cup this season.

If we're to get any closer to Hampden than Barrack Road though, we will need to rise to the occasion when sterner examinations are forthcoming. 

While the industry and intensity of the Liverpool home win was missing tonight, we worryingly failed to do much more in front of goal than we had against the Reds and looked less than convincing in defence.

The injury worries that blighted us earlier in the season may have abated, but we still have to attempt to progress with significant gaps across the field.

Shola and Owen's absence and the ass we were consequently forced to utilise tonight shows the importance of a fit Sibierski, while the lack of creativity in midfield highlights the need for in-form options such as Zog and Emre, rather than Pattison and O'Brien.

But in having strengthened our defence domestically, we face the same issues with the back four as previously when it comes to Europe. As we enter the stage of the tournament where stopping goals is at least as important as scoring them, that could prove to be our undoing.

Biffa

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