Moaners show their ingenuity after 5-0 win

Last night I dreamt that Charlton beat Northampton 3-0, but as it turned out that was just the half time score and it ended 5-0.   Louis Mendez picks out the highlights here: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/the-lowdown-on-northampton-town-0-charlton-athletic-5/

What you also have to admire is the ingenuity of Charlton moaners.   First, they pointed out that Northampton were awful.   Undoubtedly the case, but you have to beat the team in front of you.

Second, they complained that Nathan Jones did not acknowledge the away support sufficiently after the game.  If this was the case, it might be understandable given all the criticism he has to put up with from fan 'experts'.   Needless to say, Jones was pleased with the win: https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/sport/nathan-jones-very-proud-as-charlton-rip-northampton-town-apart-after-being-vilified-over-the-last-few-weeks/

Third, it was pointed out that it will count for nothing if we can't beat Cambridge United.  Well, the three points still stand and it may have given the team a much needed confidence boost.

Greg Docherty scored twice as Charlton thrashed struggling Northampton 5-0 at Sickfields.

Northampton's woeful defending was ruthlessly punished and the game was effectively done and dusted before half-time with Docherty, Tyreece Campbell and Miles Leaburn all scoring in the first 36 minutes.

Charlton led after just nine minutes when the home side failed to clear a cross and the ball dropped to Docherty, who drilled low and hard into the far corner.

Leaburn almost headed in a quick second but Charlton were dominant and they did not have to wait long to add to their lead with Campbell latching onto Leaburn's pass and finishing beyond Nik Tzanev.

Northampton were all at sea defensively and their afternoon went from bad to worse nine minutes before the break when Macaulay Gillesphey's long ball found Leaburn all alone in the penalty area and he calmly stroked home.

The Cobblers never threatened a comeback and Charlton piled on the misery with Docherty lashing his second from Luke Berry's cutback, before Danny Hylton came off the bench to score a fifth in stoppage time.

Over the festive period, to provide some non-festive reading, I am reproducing my series on what went wrong at Charlton on my Chatlton Retro site.  The first instalment takes the story as far as Dowie and Pardew: https://retrocharlton.blogspot.com/2024/12/what-went-wrong-part-1.html