Charlton Athletic have been promoted to the Championship after captain Patrick Bauer scored a dramatic stoppage time winner to earn playoff final victory over Sunderland at Wembley.
An early howler from Addicks ‘keeper Dillon Phillips had gifted Sunderland an early lead, but Ben Purrington’s first-half leveller put the Londoners back in the game, before Bauer made it 2-1 with virtually the last kick.
Lee Bowyer made just one change to the side that had started the dramatic penalty shootout win over Doncaster, with experienced midfielder Darren Pratley, part of the Swansea side that won the 2011 Championship Playoff final, coming in for Albie Morgan.
Sunderland meanwhile, named an unchanged line-up, with star winger Aiden McGeady only fit enough for the bench, though Jack Ross was forced to alter his plans inside ten minutes, when Max Power forced off injured and had to be replaced by Lewis Morgan.
By then, however, Sunderland had already taken the lead, though they had little to do with it. Charlton centre-back Mouhamadou-Naby Sarr had no reason to fear as he sent a routine back pass towards goalkeeper Phillips, without a black shirt in sight.
He was horrified then, to turn and watch as Phillips completely misjudged his attempt at controlling it, allowing the ball to roll straight past and into the back of the net to send a scarcely believing Sunderland half of the ground wild.For a moment, the Addicks were rattled, and Phillips made a degree of amends with a smart low stop to deny Grant Leadbitter, but gradually Bowyer’s men got a foothold.
Lyle Taylor smashed over with a difficult chance on the volley, before turning provider for a wonderfully worked leveller, fizzing across goal for Purrington to stroke home his first Charlton goal after intricate play from Anfernee Dijksteel and Joe Aribo.
Bowyer made a change at half-time, shifting to a back four and replacing the unfortunate Sarr with Jason Pearce, while Ross waited a further ten minutes before sending on Will Grigg to provide a partner for Charlie Wyke up front.
Morgan turned wide when well-placed from Chris Maguire’s cross, before a full blooded challenge between Pratley and Luke O’Nein left the latter with a nasty head injury, and Sunderland holding the fort with ten men for a good few minutes while he received treatment.
Both managers went to their benches against, Bowyer sending on a man who spent last season on loan at Sunderland in Jonny Williams, and Ross giving McGeady his return from a fractured foot.
Williams in particular was lively, but it would be the captain Bauer, who made the difference, scrambling home after Sunderland had failed to clear Josh Cullen’s cross.
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