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Goals: 1  2  3  4  5

Craig Cathcart fired the hosts ahead before Troy Deeney doubled their advantage with a cool finish after Gabriele Angella’s high through ball. Odion Ighalo slotted in from close range just before half-time and later headed in Daniel Tozser’s corner. Tozser himself added a late fifth with a curling, 25-yard free-kick to complete a torrid day for the visitors.

If anything, the margin of defeat flattered the visitors as the Hornets carved out a succession of opportunities and could easily have scored more goals had their finishing been better and Addicks goalkeeper Neil Etheridge not made some fine saves.

Today was a good day.  The sun shone, a beautiful crisp winter’s day which saw early gentle snowfalls melt away, no wind, no bite, a day to grin at the aggressively blue sky.  Vicarage Road looked fabulous in front of its biggest crowd for nearly seven years in – count them – four stands.  “Your Song” rumbled around Vicarage Road before kick-off and, whilst Charlton started quite brightly and the early exchanges suggested a punchy end-to-end encounter it didn’t take long for the game’s pattern to establish itself.  Troy Deeney played a wicked through-ball to release Anya, the Addicks’ defence fell apart like a house of cards, Chris Solly took a yellow by snatching at the escaping wing-back and that was pretty much that.  Our worst performances tend to have been followed directly by defiance like this since Slav’s arrival and Charlton were the fall guys.  This was the bit of being “inconsistent” that is to be enjoyed.  There are worse things than being inconsistent after all…