No festive cheer at Sixfields as woeful Cobblers are humiliated by Charlton

The first half was easily Town’s worst 45 minutes of the campaign.

Shambolic defensively and blunt in attack, their performance had absolutely no redeeming features as Charlton cruised into a 3-0 lead with frightening ease.

Greg Docherty and Tyreece Campbell struck in the opening 13 minutes, both the result of soft, weak defending, and then Miles Leaburn, son of former Cobblers loanee Carl, was left in oceans of space to stroke in a third.

The hosts were booed off at half-time and there was little respite in the second period with Docherty lashing in a fourth for a Charlton side who came into this game on the back of just one league win in their last nine outings.

And just to rub salt into the already deep wounds, Danny Hylton came off the bench to finally score at Sixfields, sweeping in a fifth to complete a thoroughly miserable afternoon.

Town remain outside the the relegation zone but every team below them has at least one game in hand and this result, and particularly the manner of it, only places more pressure on the club’s board to make the right appointment and to do so quickly ahead of a crucial run of fixtures over the Christmas period.

Interim boss Ian Sampson was once again hamstrung by injury and illness as Ben Fox, Jordan Willis, Sam Hoskins and Harvey Lintott were all missing after being involved at Peterborough in midweek.

With Tyler Roberts and Cameron McGeehan back and Tom Eaves starting again, Town’s line-up still looked strong on paper but the bench included five academy youngsters, including 16-year-old Fran Obiagwu, and only one player – the returning Jack Baldwin – over the age of 21.

Oddly, Cobblers probably shaded the opening skirmishes but it all started to go wrong on nine minutes when poor defending allowed Charlton to score with their first meaningful attack.

Nesta Guinness-Walker should have cleared but failed to do so and then neither Aaron McGowan nor Will Hondermarck dealt with the cross before Docherty drilled through Nik Tzanev.

Leaburn almost headed in a quick second but the visitors wouldn’t have to wait long, doubling their lead on 13 minutes courtesy of more soft defending with Campbell this time the scorer after being slipped in by Leaburn.

The disgruntlement among home fans at Sixfields was palpable and they were fearing that worse was to come as their side continued to look lost, both in and out of possession, and an increasingly confident Charlton side sensed the unease.

Town did at least steady the ship and gain a toehold, or so it seemed.

Nine minutes before the break, the visitors had a third and once again Cobblers were all at sea defensively.

A simple free-kick, lumped forward from halfway, should have been meat and drink for Town’s defence but Hondermarck misjudged his header and Leaburn was somehow all on his own to stroke home.

Boos rang around the ground when the half-time whistle came and there was little to change the mood in the second half, even if Cameron McGeehan did whizz a shot into the side-netting.

Over an hour had been played when Cobblers finally managed a shot on target but McGeehan’s low effort was easily claimed by Ashley Maynard-Brewer and there were no serious signs of a grandstand comeback.

Charlton hardly went hell for leather given the scoreline and that made for a somewhat tedious second 45, but that didn’t mean the pain relented for Town and midway through the half Docherty clinically lashed in a fourth.

The moment that stung most came in stoppage-time as Hylton, on as a substitute, ended his 45-game goal drought when sweeping in, and he enjoyed it by celebrating right in front of the West Stand.

Match facts

Cobblers: Tzanev, McGowan (Baldwin 76), Guthrie © (Licorish-Mullings 86), Eyoma, Odimayo, Guinness-Walker, Hondermarck (Chouchane 76), McGeehan, Pinnock, Roberts (Dobson 76), Eaves (Obiagwu 84). Subs not used: Dadge, Wyatt

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Mitchell, Jones, Docherty © (Anderson 75), Small, Coventry (Edmonds-Green 86), Berry (A Campbell 81), Edwards, Leaburn (Ahadme 75), T Campbell (Hylton 75). Subs not used: Mannion, Godden

Referee: Ben Toner

Attendance: 7,015

Charlton fans: 1,186