Charlton 2-1 Sunderland: Bauer scores late winner as Charlton secure promotion

It was perhaps the ugliest goal of their season but how Charlton celebrated the beauty of captain Patrick Bauer’s 94th-minute winner to send them back to the Championship after a three-year absence.

Addicks boss Lee Bowyer set off on a charge down the touchline before checking himself and punching the air, he’s not a box-to-box midfielder these days.

But what Bowyer is fast becoming is a very impressive manager, even if his ascent into the role was somewhat reluctant when first appointed caretaker in March of last year.

In that time he has united a fractured club and he was clearly emotional as he drank in the size of his success from the Wembley balcony after lifting the League One play-off trophy.

His hero was Bauer, the German who poked in from two yards after a desperate scramble inside the goalmouth.

The villain, however, could well have been Dillon Phillips, the Charlton goalkeeper whose fifth-minute howler gifted Sunderland the lead.

But so poor were the Jack Ross' side once in front - just as they were after taking the lead here in the Checkatrade Trophy final versus Portsmouth - you wondered whether that had been Charlton’s grand plan all along?

They duly took control and equalised before half-time through Ben Purrington and they always looked the more likely winners.

First, though, an explanation of that opening goal, so bizarre that Sunderland’s players barely celebrated.

Charlton defender Naby Sarr was in the left-back position when he pinged a back-pass to Phillips inside his penalty area. It was a little pacey and a yard or so outside of his goalkeeper’s frame, but nothing a quick reshuffle of the feet would not solve.

Instead, Phillips stretched to control, already looking downfield as he picked his next pass. What he was soon picking was the ball from the net having felt it scrape his studs and squirm beneath that lazy leg before rolling over the line.

So unexpected was it that Sky Sports, the live broadcaster, missed it in real time. Even the beneficiaries did not know what had happened and exchanged quizzical looks - are we supposed to give them one back?

It was the type of goal you are waiting to be disallowed. Even the celebrations in the Sunderland end were cautious. But no, 1-0 it was. On we go.

Within a few minutes Phillips was collecting another back-pass, this time delivered with considerate ease. Cue the inevitable roar of anticipation. He couldn’t, could he? He certainly did not take any chances, lashing first time to halfway and, with it, perhaps unloading some of his shame.

His save from Grant Leadbitter moments later would also have helped in that regard as he sought to make amends, a fine tip around the post after the midfielder had driven towards the bottom corner from 20 yards.

Phillips still needed events at the other of the pitch to turn in his favour for the error to be forgiven, it not forgotten. And his prayers were answered when Purrington strode onto Lyle Taylor’s low flash across goal and turned in from close range on 35 minutes.

The second half saw both sides tentatively press for a winner and it was only with the security of injury-time having all but expired that Charlton committed bodies forward for a free-kick.

Josh Cullen delivered, three heads rose at the far post, bodies crumbled, legs were swung and then, via Bauer and a deflection off defender Tom Flanagan, the ball was in the back of the net - and Charlton were back in the Championship.