Michael Appleton's Charlton tenure brought to an end by frenetic final failure against Northampton
Charlton Athletic (2) 2 McGowan OG 20’, Watson 45+3’
Northampton Town (2) 3 Simpson 7’, Hoskins 22’, Appere 90+7’
For a head coach accused of not showing the requisite passion to inspire anything exciting out of the players at his disposal, Michael Appleton’s final game in charge of Charlton Athletic turned out to be memorable for many reasons – most notably the end of a tenure that had appeared doomed for weeks now.
We wrote back in September that Charlton might just have found the man to bring a close to the endless tumult on the pitch, in the dugout and among the boardroom at the Valley, but it has not taken long, just five months in fact, for Appleton to get chewed up and spat out by the churn of catastrophe that has come to dominate this part of South-east London to the point that it no longer seems alarming.
While criticism for standing on the touchline with his hands in his pockets may seem over the top, even Appleton himself has admitted that the results don’t lie. Charlton are now 12 games without a win; the only potential intrigue of this first season under the ownership of SE7 Partners could well be an unwelcome fight against relegation.
The Addicks have more than enough quality players to avoid such fate, but so regularly dipping into the transfer market in recent seasons has created problems in itself. Only two who started against Northampton were at the club last season, and places in the team for five winter signings resulted in a performance that lacked cohesion and familiarity for long spells.
Appleton, if had been forced to suffer the indignity of a post-match press conference before his dismissal, would surely have argued that his side were the better team despite this when they had 11 men on the pitch.
When they fell behind early on as Tyreece Simpson was given the required time and space to dribble from forty yards and finish, it looked as though the offside flag should have been raised long before the ball found the net.
This made all of the half-openings and promising balls into the box from wing-back Tayo Edun irrelevant to much of the Covered End. A chant of “We want Appleton out” greeted the first Northampton goal, and he had been goaded into giving supporters a sarcastic wave before his team could draw level for the first time.
But even if Charlton lacked fluency with new faces getting used to one another at the back and in midfield, they still posed a threat in the final third. Edun was ready to tap home a cross from top-scorer Alfie May on twenty minutes before Northampton defender Aaron McGowan beat him to it.
The tentative celebrations had barely died down by the time the visitors were back in front. A defence that was easily dragged out of place throughout the first half did not have time to register it was level before Sam Hoskins was left unmarked in the penalty area to sweep into the net.
The game itself almost took on a sense irrelevance from that point, with tension between struggling head coach and supporters baying for yet more change reaching uncomfortable new levels.
There was venom mixed with the frustration of recent weeks in the way that Appleton celebrated Tennai Watson’s goal in the moments before half-time. A powerful finish following a blocked Freddie Ladapo shot hardly called for a fist pump of such aggression, but the way the evening had played out made it seem understandable.
The second half lacked the on-field drama of the first, and the chants of derision from the stands became incessant to the extent that much of their impact was lost. It was only when Edun, who played under Appleton in happier times at Lincoln, was shown a second yellow card for going through McGowan after tripping the defender earlier, that the game looked set for a definitive conclusion.
Having already survived what seemed a certain shout for a penalty when Kieron Bowie was booked for going down under the challenge of home keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer, a sense of inevitably set in around the Valley as Mitch Pinnock was given room to walk through a depleted midfield and set up substitute Louis Appere to score.
In a prompt style that Appleton himself possibly would have appreciated, the announcement of his departure arrived less than half an hour after the final whistle and contained just 38 words. It will take far greater time and effort for Charlton to work out what they do next.
Charlton: (3-5-2) Maynard-Brewer – Edmonds-Green, Jones (Thomas H/T), Gillesphey – T Watson (Campbell 76), Dobson, Coventry (Fiorini 76), Bakinson, Edun – May, Ladapo. Subs not used: Isted, Ness, L Watson, Kanu.
Northampton: (4-2-3-1) Burge – McGowan, Willis (Monthe 52), Guthrie, Brough – Leonard, McWilliams (Hondemarck 77) – Bowie, Pinnock, Hoskins – Simpson (Appere 62). Subs not used: Moulden, Lintott, Springett, Dyche.
