JOHNSTONE Burgh boss Jamie McKim admits it was all about picking up three points on Saturday as his team cruised to victory over Irvine Victoria.

Stuart Fyfe, Ruaridh Clark, Sam Esplin and Thomas Cruden were all on target for the home team in a 4-1 win at Keanie Park.

Burgh had to play with 10 men for most of the match, after Jojo Gillespie was shown a red card for an off-the-ball incident.

And, while McKim welcomed a victory that keeps his team’s hopes of a top four finish alive, he would have liked an even more convincing result.

He told Gazette Sport: “I thought we were really good on Saturday. I would have liked to have kept eleven men on the park and dominate possession even more but I can’t grumble.

“We have come away 4-1 winners after going down to ten men after half an hour and the game being 0-0 at that point, so I’m delighted with the way the rest of the boys played.

“We could have been three or four up within the first twenty minutes. The chances we missed were incredible.

“It would have been easier if we hadn’t gone down to ten men. We had to surrender a bit of possession at times but, at the end of the day, you’re just happy with the win.”

Gillespie was dismissed after 31 minutes but Fyfe headed Burgh in front before half-time.

Clark then found the net from the penalty spot just after the break and Esplin seemed to wrap the game up when he made it 3-0 with barely an hour played.

Declan Walsh pulled one back for the visitors with an impressive curling effort before Cruden completed the scoring by firing the ball into the top corner.

While praising his players, McKim wasn’t so happy with some of the referee’s decisions.

He said: “At the time, I had no idea what the red card was for. I can see why he has given it but I still think it’s a bit harsh.

“We are looking into the appeal process.”

Burgh have no competitive fixture scheduled for this Saturday as they head into a frustrating run where each game is followed by a free week.

And McKim revealed it can be difficult to keep his squad motivated when there is no game at the end of a busy week of training.

He added: “We had a friendly scheduled for this Saturday but the opponents have pulled out, so we’re back to square one.”