Patrick Bauer returns to Charlton with Preston on Sunday

The injury time strike at Wembley that gave the Addicks promotion to the Championship on May 26 will forever give Patrick Bauer hero status in South East London.

With the arrival of new fan favourite Tom Lockyer at the Valley in the summer Patrick Bauer may not be missed, but he’s certainly well remembered.

Moving to an SE7 outfit then in the Championship from Portuguese side Maritimo in 2015, the centre back made 124 appearances in the red of Charlton during a four-year spell.

In an interview with transfermrkt.de, Bauer re-told his early memories of his time of moving to England.

“My goal has always been to play in the highest leagues in England or Germany,” he said.

“At that time the offer came from Charlton Athletic, it was a good second division club and I have always seen my future in England or Germany, so I wanted to go the step as well.

“The club had the goal to to get in the playoffs .

“Of course it did not go the way we had imagined.

“Personally, I made the first 19 league games, but unfortunately got injured and failed to play until the end of the season.

“We were also relegated to League One that year, of course that was very disappointing.

“That's not how I imagined it back then, before signing with Charlton.”

Despite not playing during their relegation season, Bauer was wanted elsewhere, but loyal to the Addicks, he stuck with them in League One, and aimed to get them back into the Championship.

“The goal was definitely to go up with Charlton again,” he continued.

“I had not played a competitive match for eight months.

“After such a long time I just wanted to play again.

“I was just the focus that I get back into the gears and make games.”

'Once in a career moment'

Charlton made the play-offs in 2018 but missed out on promotion, a feat they managed the following season where Bauer was an integral cornerstone to the defence, wearing the armband.

With his contract up in the summer and the club aware of the 27-year-olds desire to move on regardless of their play-off final result, his 94th minute winner against Sunderland at Wembley served as the perfect leaving gift.

“It was definitely an indescribable moment,” said Bauer.

“Such a moment in which you are really happy, you get once in his career.

“I am happy that we have made a resurgence with Charlton and that I was able to help in the fourth minute of stoppage time with my goal.”

Family Life

No sooner had the reality sunk in the Charlton would be playing the 2019/20 season in the second tier, Bauer had signed for Alex Neil’s Preston.

A decision the Stuttgart trainee did not take lightly.

“After the ascent I decided with my family to start a new chapter.

“The offer from Preston North End came and we decided that we would continue my career there.

“The fact that I now have a small family, my daughter is now five and a half months old, fits it very well.

“Here it is much more rural than in London, here you have more opportunities sometimes to go for a walk with the family.

"It is much quieter and we feel extremely well. “

Next Step

The decision has been validated with the defender earning praise from all quarters for the start Preston have had.

Sitting second in the league and with real ambitions of promotion, Bauer maintains that was a key factor in joining the lilywhites.

“At the age of 27, I still want to achieve something: I want to play in the Premier League myself.

“I played in League One for three years, but I just believed in myself.

“I knew I could play in the Championship.

“It just depends on putting it to the test once you've played in a lower league for the past three years.

“From the beginning I had the confidence of the coach.

“We are currently in second place and have made a good start to the season.

“So we want to continue.”

Bauer’s Preston visit Charlton on Sunday.