Sampson expects there to be 'clarity' over manager situation after heavy Charlton defeat

Greg Docherty scored twice, Miles Leaburn and Tyreece Campbell netted one apiece before Danny Hylton ended his 45-game goal drought on a thoroughly rotten afternoon at Sixfields as Town’s season plunged to new depths.

Cobblers are one place outside of the relegation zone and all eyes will now be on what the board do next in terms of potentially appointing a new manager ahead of a crucial Christmas period.

Sampson said: "We talked about clarity in the dressing room afterwards because we all want it and I think there will be some certainty by the end of next week.

"It filters into the performances. That first game against Peterborough was great but you slip back to the ways that we were previously. Fans, players and staff all want certainty and hopefully by the end of next week there will be some certainty."

On the game itself, Sampson added: "I think the defending from the whole team was the catalyst for the performance and how the game went. It all starts from there and it was basic, poor defending.

“Some of it was stuff that I’ve not seen for a long time in terms of dealing with balls into the box properly and clearances and headers and tracking runners. It looked like they could score every time they attacked.

"It was a disappointing start and it just continued throughout the first half. We thought we would be more solid because if you look at it on paper, that was probably the most experienced team I could put out there with what we have available.

"I was relying on their experience to see the game through but unfortunately they didn’t meet the standards they set themselves."