"The players who came in were excellent," McCarthy said after the match at Turf Moor.
"Considering we did dominate, the goal came from a big boot up the middle. It was great for JJ and his all around performance was excellent.
"He's got that one commodity of pace which players don't like playing against and he's got ability as well.
"What was really pleasing from my point of view was the way we stood up to the pressure. I have spent a lot of years with Gary Breen and he has got better with age.
"I like winning, it's my livelihood and I hate getting beat."