JOHNSTONE Burgh boss Jamie McKim hailed new signing Brian Connor after watching his stunning four-goal debut in Saturday’s demolition of Saltcoats Victoria.

The former Irvine Meadow man signed for Burgh last week and went straight into the starting line-up.

It only took Connor 12 minutes to get up and running as he swept the ball home following a corner before adding a second two minutes later with another close-range effort.

Jojo Gillespie got the third after 18 minutes with a tidy finish after a neat passing move and Burgh were cruising but Saltcoats reduced the deficit as a free-kick crept into the net with 10 minutes of the first half remaining.

The Keanie Park team scored a fourth through Sam Esplin just after the hour mark when he curled the ball into the far corner from a tight angle and a flurry of late goals in the final 15 minutes added some gloss to the scoreline.

Esplin completed his hat-trick with goals five and six before Connor capped off a fine debut with the final two goals of the afternoon, including a brilliant eighth that found the net from just inside the penalty box.

It was exactly the type of result and performance McKim has been looking for after a recent sticky patch as his team picked up their first league win since August – and he is excited about what his new striker can bring to his squad.

He told Gazette Sport: “It was good to see a clinical side to us. It was a really good performance, with the only blemish being the goal we conceded.

“It was an opportunity to build confidence and I thought it was important we did that. We’ve been working hard in the final third at training and we freshened things up on Saturday.

“Brian is a huge signing for the club. He is a goalscorer, a fantastic footballer and the thing that rounds it off nicely is that he’s a great boy as well.

“I’ve known him for a long time through his time at Glenvale, where I coached him previously.

“I’ve kept a close eye on him over the years and, when I heard that he was possibly leaving Irvine Meadow, he was very keen to come in.

“I’m not expecting four goals every week but he will bring goals to the team.”

Burgh face league leaders Shotts Bon Accord at Hannah Park this Saturday, with kick-off at 2pm.