Spurs have already beaten one path to the Millenium stadium, brushing aside Tranmere 4-0 away in October on their way to next Sunday's Worthington Cup final against Blackburn. Yesterday they kept on course for a second visit in May, beating the same team by the same score, picking up our road to Cardiff and looking a fair bet to go the whole way.
A goal by Christian Ziege inside 10 minutes quelled a bright start by Tranmere and, though Rovers hung on for 25 minutes by the fingertips of John Achterberg and the hair's breadth by which a second bullet from the German flew by the far post, Gustavo Poyet effectively killed off the match before half-time.
Glenn Hoddle may feel he has exorcised a ghost. In this round a year ago, when he was at Southampton, Saints led 3-0 at half-time only to lose 4-3, with Paul Rideout scoring a hat-trick.
That was the last in a sequence of results which have established Tranmere's cup reputation. An honours board at Prenton Park lists "memorable matches" - 18 in the last 14 years, including nine in the last three, but only 12 in the club's first 67 league years. That means an awful lot were forgettable.
Rovers also had a spot of revenge to seek. The clubs had met only once before in the Cup, in 1953, when Spurs, with their current president Bill Nicholson playing, won a replay 9-1.
Any hope of Tranmere adding to their roll of honour was quickly extinguished. They had come through four rounds, including two they normally bypassed, with 16 goals against lowly opponents. The snap-tackle-pop of their midfield had given them control and their forwards bags of chances. Yesterday, though, they were as Shredded Wheat before the liquid speed of Tottenham's understanding.
Tim Sherwood lay deep in a holding and spreading role, consistently finding Mauricio Taricco and Ziege wide. Further forward Teddy Sheringham, given a nod and a rest by Sven-Goran Eriksson midweek, pulled Tranmere's central defenders about by typically dropping off. Neither Darren Anderton (hamstring) nor Ledley King (tonsils), denied England action, were fit but Ziege on the left nursed his way back from five weeks' injury, punishing Tranmere but not himself.
His conversion of the game's first real opening, set up by Simon Davies' volleyed pass, was merciless. By the time Poyet tucked in the second from Ziege's measured cross, Tranmere might have been six down. Les Ferdinand and Sheringham missed from close range and Achterberg saved acrobatically from Poyet and Taricco.
Rovers, going for a hat-trick of quarter-finals never achieved momentum and, though Jason Koumas showed confident touches to explain in part his £2m valuation, he may need to play at a higher level to take his game on.
Until Spurs grew sloppy in the second half Rovers' only threat came at corners. Rideout, now 37 and scorer of Everton's Cup final winner against Manchester United in 1995, twice went close; Nick Henry miscued when misplaced; Jason Price had three stabs at the ball when Neil Sullivan got in a tangle; and Stuart Barlow blasted across goal from a narrow angle but Spurs always had plenty in hand.
Sheringham potted the third when the ball dropped loose from Ferdinand's challenge on Achterberg. And Poyet took his season's tally to 11 with a wicked deflection in injury time. Spurs may fancy their chances of emulating Arsenal's cup double of 1993. Certainly their league form - two wins in nine games - suggests the cups have been a distraction.
Therein lies Tranmere's consolation. Dave Watson, their manager, always saw the Cup as a chance to take the money and run for promotion. Such was the draw that Rovers' return was limited. Afterwards Watson, more used to the corridor and broom cupboard interview than Tottenham's microphones and auditorium, said he was "pleased with the performance". He will be even more pleased if they can start their run-in with victory at Oldham tomorrow.
