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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Sport
Gareth Fullerton

NIFL Premiership: How much is your club missing 'the twelfth man' this season?

How important is the twelfth man in the Irish League?

The roar of the crowd can galvanise players, carry them to victory when the going gets tough.

It can also add more pressure on the opposition, forcing the odd error or two which your team can capitalise on.

Glentoran manager Mick McDermott believes having no fans at games is "likely" to be having an impact.

All Danske Bank Premiership fixtures have to be played behind closed doors under current Covid-19 restrictions.

It is the second time this season there has been a ban on supporters attending games, following a two-week break which started at the end of November.

Speaking after last night's 1-0 defeat to Crusaders at Seaview, Glentoran boss McDermott said the absence of supporters could be a factor.

He told the club's YouTube channel: "I don't know, but likely. I don't want to say yes or no, but it is likely.

"Glentoran brings a massive crowd, whether it be home or away, so it is definitely a factor for all the teams, especially the big teams who usually bring a big crowd.

"It's the times we are in and we have to deal with it."

But how much is your team feeling the impact of no fans?

Out of six games played behind closed doors, Glentoran have won three, drawn one and lost two.

Their two defeats have both been against Crusaders, and both at Seaview.

Leaders Linfield have played six times without fans this season, winning four and losing twice - those two defeats both away from home, to Warrenpoint Town and Cliftonville respectively.

Larne's two defeats in their seven games without fans have both come at Inver Park, while Crusaders have lost away to Glenavon and Coleraine in their eight fixtures.

Meanwhile, Cliftonville have lost just once out of seven games played behind closed doors - that was against Linfield at Windsor Park.

Below is a table showing how many games your team has played behind closed doors this season and how many points they have picked up.

We have based the table on points-per-game average as some teams have played more fixtures than others.

Games behind closed door (points-per-game average)

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