Charlton crashed to a 5-0 defeat at Huddersfield on Tuesday evening, in one of the most abject performances from an Addicks side in living memory.

Second best in every department, in what is certain to be Karel Fraeye’s last game in charge, it is hard to imagine how the performance could have been any worse.

There were reports of a fracas in the dressing room after the game, thought to have been sparked by Reza Ghoochannejhad’s needless red card.

None of the management team were available to attend the post match press conference. Stephen Henderson faced the music and said this:

“It’s not good enough, it’s embarrassing. Publicly, I’d like to apologise to our travelling fans. I know they won’t think I mean it, but I genuinely want to apologise for that shocking performance tonight.

“As you can imagine, the lads are lower than they could ever be in their careers right now. I feel numb. I know a few players aren’t able to speak after the game and that’s a position that I’ve not been in before.

“We need to be going out there to change this. Only we can do that. We’re the players on the pitch and we need to be doing better individually.

“We are three points off it (safety) ‎, on our performances we warrant to be far off it, but we’re still only three points away from it.

“I, personally, will be doing everything I can to be putting in performances to win this team points. It’s not been happening for me, but I’m not going to give up because the club means too much to me, and I know there’s lads in there who feel the same.

“Until that’s gone, I wont give up,”‎ said Henderson.

Skipper Johnnie Jackson later revealed on Twitter, that he is arranging for the club to refund the cost of match tickets to the travelling fans:

“We are going to reimburse fans who travelled up to support us.I will arrange this with the club, and they will let you know how to be refunded

“I know words are cheap but on behalf of myself and the players,I want to apologise for tonight.It was disgraceful and you deserve better, ” said the skipper.

Jed Steer‎ in the Terriers goal will seldom have an easier game.

Huddersfield have split the away end, and their more vocal fans are housed next to the travelling fans‎. They kept up a barrage of noise all night, drowning out the sprinkling of Charlton fans.

Former Addicks skipper, ‎Mark Hudson, opened the scoring with a free header from a right-wing corner.

Charlton’s chronic inability to defend set pieces was again exposed when Stephen Henderson missed a cross from a corner. Joel Lynch played the ball back for Nahki Wells to tap in.

Two goals in five minutes in the second half extinguished any hope Fraeye’s side may have had of getting back into the game.

Both Jamie Paterson and Duane Holmes cut through to fire home efforts from outside the box.

Jason Davidson’s stoppage time tap in rubbed salt into the wounds.

Ghoochannejhad picked up two yellow cards inside a minute to compound Charlton’s misery.

It is hard to see how the Addicks can turn round the current malaise. Confirmation of Fraeye’s dismissal is likely to happen on Wednesday, with Jose Riga seemingly waiting in the wings.
Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Johnson, Lennon, Fox (Holmes-Dennis 62),;Poyet, Williams (Ghoochannejhad 62), Jackson, Gudmundsson (Makienok 74), Harriott; Vaz Te.

Subs (not used): Pope, Sarr, Makienok, Charles-Cook, Moussa.

Booked: Solly 23 (foul ), Williams 30 (persistant fouling), Fox 53 (foul), Ghoochannejhad 86 (foul)

Sent off: Ghoochannejhad 88 (second yellow) .

Huddersfield: Steer; Davidson, Lynch, Hudson (Cranie 78), Smith; Huws (Holmes 54), Hogg; Lolley (Dempsey 50), Patterson, Bunn; Wells.

Subs (not used): Murphy, Miller, Husband, Billing.

Goals:‎ Hudson 18, Wells 44, Paterson 75, ‎Holmes 79, Davidson 90.

Referee: Geoff Eltringham (Tyne &‎ Wear).