Skipper Charlie Lee has vowed to take Leyton Orient back to the Football League next season after making his long awaited return from injury against Wrexham.

The midfielder, who joined the club last summer after leaving Stevenage, has endured a frustrating debut campaign at Brisbane Road after sustaining a serious knee injury in training back in August, keeping him out for a large part of the season.

Losing Lee was a blow for Orient in what has been a transitional season on the pitch for the O’s, who have recovered from a poor start to finish the campaign with a flourish under Justin Edinburgh, who was appointed as the club’s head coach back in November.

Saturday’s win over Wrexham was Orient’s third victory in a row at home, with Lee being greeted with the biggest cheer of the afternoon as he made his long-awaited return as a late substitute, and the O’s captain is determined to lead the club back to League 2 next season.

He said: “I’m not here to stay in the National League. I signed for Orient because they are a league team and I’ve played against them in League One and League Two. They are too good for this level. As a club, the fans deserve more and we as players were brought in to change that and I won’t be happy unless it’s done.”

For some players, sustaining a serious injury can have a devastating effect both mentally and physically.

However, Lee admitted that he has enjoyed the challenge of working his way back to full fitness and he is now hoping to feature in the final games of the season, as he prepares to help Orient’s promotion charge next campaign.

Lee said: “It has been difficult but I get reminded very regularly by my wife that I still get paid to be a footballer. Obviously I don’t get to play, but I get to go in and work hard and enjoy it.

“The atmosphere around the ground, especially since the new manager has come in, has been exceptional. I couldn’t wait to get back. I’ve almost enjoyed the challenge. I’ve never had a real injury in my life so I enjoyed it and I’m proud of myself and everyone around me now that I’m back.

“There’s no injury there. I’ve been given the go ahead to play. I’ve been working with the fitness coach and the physio for many weeks on my fitness levels. Ideally you’d like to play reserve games but this isn’t the time and I’m probably not going to be used as a starter before the end of the season. I think that’s quite obvious. It will be building for me next year.”