IT WAS a fairytale return to The Valley for O's striker Scott McGleish on Monday evening.

The 35-year-old frontman began his professional career with Charlton, but had not been back to his old stomping ground since being let go by the Addicks in 1995.

He could not have asked to make a bigger impact on his first return, heading home the O's winner three minutes into the second half and he was delighted to notch his 10th goal of the season.

"I've not been back in the 15 years since I left Charlton - either to play or to watch - so it's nice to come back and score a goal, as players so often do against their old clubs," he said.

"Chambo played the ball to Nicky Adams, who got at them and it got to Sean. Most people thought he would have shot there, but he's disguised the pass with a little dink to the far post and I've come in with the simplest of tasks with a diving header at the near post."

McGleish's goal handed Orient their third away win of the season and brought Charlton's long unbeaten home record to an end - and he said it was a three point haul they thoroughly deserved.

"It was nice to get the goal early in the second half. We stuck in there in the first half and had a couple of chances to score but didn't quite get on them," he added.

"After we scored we restricted them to long distance shots, played some nice football ourselves and were unlucky not to get another one really.

"The boys at the back were fantastic all through the game. The two central midfielders in front of them did brilliantly too, making sure they tracked every runner.

"It meant that Charlton had to play high balls in, which we managed to deal with all day long."

This interview appeared first as a TV feature on Orient Player. Click here to subscribe or for more info on our premium web service - available from less than 10p per day!