Josh Cullen could not contain his delight at helping Charlton Athletic secure promotion to the Championship after a 2-1 EFL League One Play-off win against Sunderland.
The on-loan West Ham United midfielder played the cross which led to Patrick Bauer’s last-minute winner on Sunday, as the Addicks came from behind to defeat the Black Cats at Wembley.
“I’m buzzing,” Cullen said. “Everyone has deserved that all season; everyone in the dressing room, everyone at the club and the fans.
“I think promotion is what we set out to do and that’s what we’ve done. I’m over the moon.”
Everyone at Charlton has deserved that all season. I'm over the moon.
Josh Cullen
Charlton had gone a goal behind in the Play-Off clash with Sunderland but were able to secure promotion in the most dramatic of circumstances, scoring the winning goal with mere seconds left on the clock.
“I think that goal shocked us a bit,” Cullen admitted. “For the first 20 minutes, we probably didn’t play as well as we know we can. We were a bit nervy I suppose, but after that we had a good spell, got a goal back, and stuck in the game.
“I think the way we came back shows the character we’ve had all season. To go behind in the manner we did was disappointing, but we’ve got that belief in ourselves to know that it wasn’t going to put us off what we needed to do.
“We got the goal in the end which I think was deserved, and we’re back in the Championship.”
The 23-year-old’s time with Charlton has been a resounding success. Cullen has featured in 32 matches in all competitions for the Addicks, and is now preparing for a return to West Ham this summer.
The midfielder is optimistic his good form for Charlton will stand him in good stead for the 2019/20 campaign with the Hammers.
He added: “West Ham want me back for pre-season. All I can do is perform. There’s no point in talking off the pitch, you’ve just got to perform on the pitch when you can.
“I’ve enjoyed a good season at Charlton; a successful season, and hopefully I can go back to West Ham and hit the ground running.”