Manager Jamie McKim insists points make prizes after Johnstone Burgh sacrificed their free-flowing style to superbly deal with a heavy downpour.
The Renfrewshire club welcomed Rutherglen Glencairn to an already saturated Keanie Park looking to keep their promotion hopes afloat.
Having decided to play more direct to deal with the heavy pitch, Burgh took a 1-0 lead into the break thanks to Thomas Cruden’s clinical opener.
The floodgates opened in the second half, with Cruden going on to bag a hat-trick and super subs Kieran Brophy and Brian Connor also getting in on the act.
McKim was delighted with how his side adapted to the adverse conditions and still managed to produce a clinical performance and dominant scoreline.
McKim told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “The first half was very competitive. The second half we blew them away.
“I thought we were excellent for the whole 90 minutes. The surface was so heavy that we decided to be more direct than we normally would be and it worked a treat.
“We went with Thomas Cruden and Alan Millar up front and thankfully it paid off.
“We always want to play attractive football all the time, but results do matter more at the end of the day.
“It was so wet that it was always going to be a bit more of a battle. It wasn’t a day to try and play cute, pretty football.
“The boys that came off the bench had a big impact too so overall I’m delighted with how we handled what could have been a really tricky afternoon.”
The three points picked up saw Johnstone Burgh surge up to fifth in the First Division table, level on points with Renfrewshire rivals Neilston and just three points behind league leaders St Cadoc’s.
McKim insists he’s still not taking any notice of the league standings, instead preferring to focus on this weekend’s trip to Uddingston to face Thorniewood United.
McKim said: “The league table is still so tight.
“Positions don’t matter the now, because you can win one game and you’re in the promotion race and lose one and you’re battling relegation.
“We’ve won two on the bounce in the league, which does make things look a little rosier. We’re looking for a strong run now, starting with Thorniewood this weekend.
“They’re a good side and just lost to Neilston, so they’ll be looking to bounce back straight away I’m sure.
“For us now it’s all about building some consistency. Hopefully we can keep this winning run going.”
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