Docherty: 'It’s a brilliant early Christmas present'

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Greg Docherty spoke to CharltonTV post-game as the Addicks returned to winning ways with an emphatic 5-0 win against Northampton Town on Saturday afternoon.

The skipper voiced his praise for the travelling fans, admitting that it was a superb performance from the side, one that has been coming for a while.

“It’s a brilliant early Christmas present,” explained Docherty. “For us as a team and the fans that followed us here today, it was the perfect away performance. It has been coming, it is easy to say that, we have kept on talking about it in the dressing room but it is important to go out there and do it on the pitch. From the 11 that started the game and the ones that came on, it was a real collective effort. That needs to be shown more consistently.

“You can’t knock a 5-0 win away from home, these are the days you work hard for, you go through difficult periods. I am so happy for everyone involved at the club.”

Nathan Jones’ side firmly established their stamp on the game early on, netting two goals in a quarter-of-an-hour through Docherty and Tyreece Campbell. The 28-year-old emphasised the importance of utilising our assets at both ends of the pitch, allowing free-flowing football throughout the fixture.

He said: “We were relentless today. It started with the guys at the top end of the pitch, they gave us a real focal point. They had so much pace up there, we talked about using it during the week and before the game today, playing to their strengths. We were solid at the back, we always are, we know that we are solid as we have such a good base. It allows us to be free. 

“It is easier said than done to go out on the pitch and be free, sometimes it can be difficult, today it clicked, and we were relentless. 3-0 at half-time was more than deserved, coming out and getting the fourth allowed us to have that extra bit of freedom. Players today were playing with a smile on their face, we need that more consistently.”

The Scotsman was on hand to net two goals, one in either half, with the second seeing him arrive late on the edge of the box, finding the top corner was a sublime strike.

“We work on those areas in training," he said. "I’ve worked on it for years, arriving late on the edge of the box. Again, it’s easy to say it, but you must be able to do it and today it just clicked. It was great to score a goal like that in front of the away end and hearing the noise, it was brilliant. We were backed really well today, we always are. We need to give fans days like this more often.

“A win away from home today would have been something we expected from ourselves. Five goals is brilliant, let’s not hide from that, 5-0’s don’t come very often. I am really happy with the clean sheet as well. We scored at a great time in the second-half Bez [Luke Berry] did unbelievable before the goal, that is what he was like. The quality we have got in the midfield is a joy to have, today it clicked. I knew he would cut it back and I knew I had to get on the end of it. All I wanted to do was hit the target, I am really happy. As a team we are all so happy, we can go into the Christmas period in a real good place.”

Prior to heading over to the fans at the weekend, the team gathered in a huddle post-game reflecting on the win. Docherty admitted that a performance like that on the road was due and the spirits were high on the back of it.

He said: “It’s more so that we have been talking about a performance like this. It has been difficult; we haven’t scored as many goals as we should have. We are solid at the back defensively and solid in the midfield, but we have not scored, today like I have said, it clicked. We played the way we know we can, the way we do in training with freedom in and around the box. We looked so dangerous, it was a joy to play in, especially with the front three.

“We were relentless, I am so happy for so many individuals. Merry Christmas…” 

The Addicks return to The Valley on Boxing Day to host Cambridge United. Click here to get your tickets.

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