THE huge chasm between sixth and 92nd place in professional football was cruelly demonstrated at the Riverside Stadium as Middlesbrough demolished Hereford United 7-0 in the Coca-Cola Cup second round first leg.

Four goals from Italian international Fabrizio Ravanelli led the way for the multi-million pound Boro side, with one each from Brazilian stars Emerson and Branco and another from Curtis Fleming.

''We found a team of excellent players right at the top of their form and they gave us a lesson in the art of football,'' said United's director of football Graham Turner.

''We've had a go and I hope that we've learned something here and that we shall take some money away from the tie. Middlesbrough are awesome here.''

Hereford who were unlucky to be deprived of the services of skipper David Norton and Murray Fishlock by eve-of-game injuries, held the Premiership team at bay for the first 20 minutes. But after a fine break by Juninho was expertly finished by Ravanelli, it quickly became a matter of how many goals Boro might score. The goal of the night came on the half-hour when Emerson unleashed a 25-yard shot of stunning power which screamed past Andy DeBont into the top corner of the net. Three minutes later Robbie Mustoe set up Ravanelli to score with a left-foot shot from the edge of the box.

A good save by DeBont foiled Ravanelli's hat-trick bid a minute before the break, but the respite was only short-lived as the former Juventus man completed his treble in the 54th minute when he converted a low Juninho cross. Ravanelli turned provider two minutes later by laying a perfect pass into the path of Branco, whose shot rocketed into the net and then substitute John Hendrie, who had a loan spell at Edgar Street back in th 1983-84 season, played a fine ball in for Fleming to add the sixth.

The scoring was completed in the 71st minute when Gavin Mahon was judged to have felled Ravanelli in the box and the 'White Feather' blasted his fourth goal past DeBont from the penalty spot.

Hereford never stopped trying, and in Gareth Stoker and Chris Hargreaves they had two players who gave their all, but on the night the gulf in class was simply too great.

With thoughts already turning t Saturday's game against Mansfield, Turner said: ''If we cane take some of the lessons that we have learned here into our league programme, then things can start to look up.''

Hereford fans will be hoping that Middlesbrough will still put out a strong team at Edgar Street for the second leg next week.

Hereford: DeBont, Pitman, Sutton (sub Cook 57 min), Smith, Brough, Townsend, Mahon, Stoker, A. Foster, I. Foster, Hargreaves. Subs not used: Mackenzie (gk), Preedy.

Attendance: 17.136.