Northampton’s final home game of 2024 would see the Cobblers endure a 5-0 mauling by Charlton Athletic.
Greg Docherty’s brace and further strikes by Tyreece Campbell, Miles Leaburn and former Cobbler Danny Hylton made it a painful pre-Christmas game for the Cobblers.
The currently managerless side are now on a run of 1 win in 9 League One games and they will spent Christmas Day two points and one place above the relegation zone, but having played more games than the teams below them.
Northampton had hoped for a positive performance against a midtable Addicks side to bounce back from three goal defeats in league and EFL Trophy.
But the day didn’t get off to a good start for the hosts as they fell behind inside the opening ten minutes. Campbell’s cross wasn’t fully cleared and the ball eventually fell for visiting captain Docherty, who drilled a low shot across Nik Tzanev and in to give the visitors the lead.
Charlton continued to press and they would make it 2-0 three minutes later. Leaburn’s ball forward released Campbell, who eluded the last defender before firing past Tzanev.
The Cobblers’ day got worse in the final ten minutes of the first half, as a Northampton defender could only flick Macauley Gillesphey’s long ball on to Leaburn, who duly drilled a shot home to give Charlton their third.
Northampton had some chances for a consolation with Cameron McGeehan seeing a firm drive just fly wide and the Northern Irishman was later kept out by away keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.
But Charlton instead added to the home side’s misery with a fourth goal with just over 20 minutes of the 90 to go, when Luke Berry cut the ball back for Docherty to rifle home his second of the day.
Charlton would grab a fifth in stoppage time, when a cross by substitute Alex Mitchell found fellow arrival Hylton, who found the bottom corner and in the process scored his first goal for the Addicks.
That duly put the seal on a dismal day for the Cobblers, who will be chasing points in their battle to stay up when they visit Reading on Boxing Day.