PORT Glasgow got back to winning ways on Saturday with this fine victory over Royal Albert.

As in many of their recent games, the Port got off to an encouraging start, but the difference this time was they got the early goal which boosted their confidence for the rest of the match.

Early pressure saw Jamie McKenna come close on 15 minutes, when he rounded the Albert keeper and looked set to score until a visiting defender managed to clear his goal-bound effort.

Just before then, Royal Albert briefly threatened, when a midfielder got round the back of Paul Coyle to move in on goal, but Port keeper Robbie Graham was alert to the situation and raced off his line to avert the danger.

The Port took the lead on 18 minutes, when a trademark in-swinging corner kick from Craig McCormick was bulleted home by the head of Eddie Walton.

Seven minutes later it was 2-0, as McCormick flighted a ball over the Albert defence, and McKenna ran on to shimmy past the keeper and slot home.

The Port were disappointed not to have been awarded a penalty just before half-time, when Kevin McKay was brought down and it looked as though the infringement was inside the box — but referee George King decided the foul had been inches outside.

But when the second period got under way, it took the Port just five minutes to forge a 3-0 lead, and this time it was via the spot.

A Ross Kearns cross from the right found McKenna, who turned the visiting centre-half in the box but was then brought down.

McKay sent the keeper the wrong way as he converted the spot-kick.

The game was pretty much over at that point, but Albert kept plugging away and got their reward on the hour mark.

Alan Jamieson was dispossessed in midfield, and an Albert player slipped a neat ball through to a striker, who fired into the corner of the net to bring it back to 3-1.

But it wasn’t long before Port Glasgow restored their three-goal lead, when Dylan McLaughlin went on a mazy run and smashed the ball into the box, where McKay met it with a header on the run to notch his second goal of the game.

It was very nearly 5-1 near the end, as a McCormick volley was touched over the bar by the Albert keeper. Graham in the Port goal hadn’t had all that much to do in the second half, but he showed the importance of staying alert, with a tremendous save from an Albert shot as the game entered stoppage time, with the final scoreline of 4-1 adequately reflecting the Port’s superiority.

Manager Craig Brown said: “It was important to get that win, after the bad run we had been on.

“This was a tricky fixture, as Royal Albert had already got some good results away from home, beating Cambuslang Rangers and Forth Wanderers.

“But over the 90 minutes, we thoroughly deserved the win.’’ PORT GLASGOW: Graham, McClement, Jamieson (Stevenson 80), Coyle, Walton, Gault, Kearns, McKay (Black 68), McKenna (McAfee 73), McLaughlin, McCormick. Sub not used: Bowie.

Port Glasgow Juniors are sponsored by Regents Vehicle Sales, Greenock, and MAC HSL Ltd.