Preston boss Alex Neil admitted he would not have minded if Patrick Bauer had decided to celebrate his goal in the 2-1 win over Charlton.

The German defender, who spent four years at The Valley before leaving for Lancashire last summer, escaped his marker to head home the eventual winner.

It completed a comeback win for play-off chasing Preston, who trailed to an early Andre Green goal until Josh Harrop curled home a stunning equaliser.

Bauer made 135 appearances for the Addicks during that four-year spell, and capped it off in style by sending them back into the Championship with a 94th-minute winner in last May’s League One play-off final.

However, after powerfully heading home Harrop’s inviting corner delivery, he decided against celebrating it as his team-mates gathered around him.

Neil said: “He’s [Bauer] chosen to show Charlton some respect, which I’ve no issues with at all. If he’d have celebrated I wouldn’t have minded either. I think he’ll be disappointed with the first [Green] goal, we didn’t defend that front area well enough.

“I think we’ve still got to get him back to the form he was in before his illness, I think that certainly set him back a little bit, but that will go a long way to restoring his confidence.

“He’s been in excellent form for us this year, he’s been a great signing, so there’s always going to be little lulls throughout the season and that goal made a big, big difference.”

Lee Bowyer made it clear how disappointed he was with the defending for the goal, irrespective of who scored it.

He said: “We know that's his strength. He's done it for us how many times? How has he got a free header from six, seven yards out? That should never, ever happen – whether it's Patrick Bauer or anyone.

“Very rarely does it happen to us, does it? Patrick, to be fair to him, he lost whoever was marking him and scored the goal.”