Charlton Athletic go top of the table as they condemn Watford to fifth straight defeat | OneFootball

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·2 October 2021

Charlton Athletic go top of the table as they condemn Watford to fifth straight defeat

Article image:Charlton Athletic go top of the table as they condemn Watford to fifth straight defeat

A torrential downpour couldn’t dampen the spirits of Karen Hills’ Charlton Athletic side at Vicarage Road this afternoon as The Addicks rained goals on Watford in a 4-0 victory to go top of the FA Women’s Championship table.

Anna Filbey opened the scoring for the visitors before Elise Hughes bagged a hat-trick in a comprehensive victory for the South East Londoners.

It was contrasting fortunes for the two sides coming into the game. Watford were without a point from their opening four matches whilst Charlton Athletic boasted two wins from three games so far this season. The gulf in quality was certainly reflected on the pitch this afternoon.


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Hills’ side were on the scoresheet before three minutes had even elapsed thanks to Filbey. A corner from the left wasn’t dealt with by the Watford defence and the ball fell kindly to Filbey who hit it first time on the volley, goalkeeper Georgie Ferguson could do nothing to stop the shot.

The visitors then continued their bright start to the game as Hughes got on the end of a cross from the right with a tremendous looping header. The ball struck the far post and bounced in to double the lead for The Addicks inside the opening 10 minutes.

Watford showed glimpses of getting back into the game with Helen Ward forcing a couple of very good saves from Eartha Cumings in the Charlton Athletic goal but The Golden Girls went in two goals down at the break.

Things didn’t get much better in the second period for Watford. A great pass through their defence found Lois Roche who shot low and saw her effort well-saved by Ferguson but the rebound fell straight to Hughes who tapped in the rebound. The Charlton Athletic number 16 then completed her hat-trick from the penalty spot after Filbey went down under a challenge in the area.

The Addicks did come close to netting goal number five in the dying minutes of the game when a Watford defender nearly headed into their own net but for a great save from Ferguson to steer the ball over.

The match finished 4-0 to the away side, a result which sees them climb to the top of table ahead of Sheffield United and Durham on goal difference. Conversely, Watford are propping up the table after five consecutive defeats. Things are looking rather gloomy for Watford manager Clinton Lancaster with very few silver linings to be found on a wet day in Hertfordshire.

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