JOHNSTONE Burgh co-managers Davie Brolly and Colin Smith praised their team’s second-half display as they came back from a goal down to notch up their first league win of the season over Dunipace.

A lacklustre first-half display from Burgh was duly punished as The Pace hit the front and went into half-time leading 1-0 at Keanie Park.

But Burgh were clinical in the second half and Scott Arthur levelled the tie before Grant Kelly scored a hat-trick to wrap up a comprehensive win as Johnstone bounced back from last week’s 3-2 defeat as Ashfield.

Brolly hailed the response of his players in the second half

He said: “We dominated large periods of the first half without troubling their goalkeeper. They got their goal and we’ve went in at half-time 1-0 down.

“We knew we were capable of the second half performance, it was just getting the players to believe it and they did, it was comfortable in the end and a very pleasing second half performance.

“There was a decent crowd as well, so to score four goals in the second half and play some good stuff, hopefully that will get them back watching us regularly.”

While Smith urged Burgh to continue in the same vein at Keanie Park, stressing that their home form would be crucial if they are to win promotion from the Central District Second Division.

He said: “We’ve told the boys that we can’t drop points at home if we have any aspirations of getting back out of this league. We have to be formidable at home.”