Six takeaways from Boxing Day Irish Premiership games

Referee Shane Andrews shows Linfield goalkeeper David Walsh a yellow card

The traditional Boxing Day derby duels are always a highlight of the Irish Premiership season and while this year's 26 December games perhaps failed to yielded the goal-fests of Christmas encounters of past years, the six matches delivered plenty of talking points.

BBC Sport NI reflects on some of the takeaways from the festive match-ups in Northern Ireland's top flight.

Big refereeing calls impact title race

Refereeing decisions played a central part in Thursday's matches as Shane Andrews' decision not to send off Linfield goalkeeper David Walsh for bringing down Jordan Jenkins outside his area in the second half was met with incredulity by Glentoran manager Declan Devine and surprise by most neutral observers.

The Glens boss described it as "the turning point" of a game which ended 0-0 at the Oval.

The Blues had stopper Chris Johns in reserve on the bench but the prospect of playing the final half hour of the game with only 10 men in the cauldron of a Boxing Day showdown could have been a challenging one for the visitors.

Subsequently Linfield defender Sam Roscoe was dismissed for a second yellow 10 minutes later and home captain Marcus Kane also saw red for two bookable offences.

Devine's side had the better of the game but were unable to take the chances which would have earned them a fourth consecutive win over their derby rivals this season, with Jenkins particularly culpable in front of goal.

Linfield ground out a precious point as back-to-back champions Larne had three 'goals' disallowed when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Carrick Rangers, thereby failing to make up ground on the clubs above them.

Larne head coach Gary Haveron expressed disappointment post-match that Cian Bolger's header, Matt Lusty's effort and Andy Ryan's shot were all chalked off by referee Ian McNabb.

Larne sit ninth in the table, 22 points behind leaders Linfield, but with six games in hand over Healy's charges ahead of the big meeting between the sides at Windsor Park on Monday.

A win for the pacesetters in that encounter would put them in a massively strong position to regain the Gibson Cup.

Offord key for Crues again

Kieran Offord has been a key figure for Crusaders this season

Not for the first time this season, Crusaders had Kieran Offord to thank for taking all three points as they defeated north Belfast rivals Cliftonville 2-0 at Seaview.

The on-loan St Mirren player has been a crucial figure for the Crues this term and again proved his worth with a second-half double to earn his team derby bragging rights. Crues fans will hope the forward is not recalled to his parent club in January.

Offord has scored 10 Premiership goals to date and his contribution in knockout contests to date included a hat-trick in a BetMcLean Cup quarter-final win over Dungannon Swifts.

Manager Declan Caddell also praised the performances of wing duo Jordan Stewart and Ross Clarke as his side ended a run of three top flight defeats and started to welcome back some of his important players after injury.

For Cliftonville however it was more disappointment as they have now taken just one point from their past four league outings to drop to fifth in the table.

A congested mid-table

The fact that most clubs have found consistent form elusive has led to a packed mid-table in the Premiership as teams chase the league positions which would clinch a top-six place for the late-season split and a crack at securing European football either automatically or through the end-of-season play-offs.

Just eight points separate Glentoran in third and Coleraine in eighth as we approach the final set of fixtures of 2024.

The Glens have taken three wins and two draws from their past five league outings but goalscoring at home remains a problem for them - they have failed to find the net in six of their 11 matches at the Oval this term and have scored only seven in 11 top flight fixtures at their home ground to date.

Portadown had won four of their last five ahead of their Boxing Day derby against Glenavon and will hope their 2-0 loss in that game is just a temporary blip as they occupy fourth in the table.

Ballymena United in sixth position sit level on points with Cliftonville above them, the Sky Blues having won 10 and lost 10 in a topsy turvy campaign before picking up their first draw in Thursday's 2-2 draw with Coleraine.

Ethan Devine's double put Jim Ervin's side in the ascendancy at half-time but the Bannsiders fought back with the help of Matthew Shevlin's 14th goal of the season and could have taken the victory but for some fine goalkeeping by visiting stopper Sean O'Neill, some heroic defending and some profligate finishing.

Coleraine will hope to improve on the eighth place they presently occupy, with the help of some increased investment off the field and squad strengthening in the January transfer window.

Dungannon bounce back into second

The run of results achieved by Dungannon Swifts has been one of the remarkable features of the Premiership season to date and their 2-1 success over Loughgall propelled them back into second spot in the standings.

Rodney McAree's side had suffered successive 1-0 home defeats - to Irish League powerhouses Linfield and Larne - but bounced back to take all three points at Stangmore on Thursday to leapfrog Portadown and Glentoran who started the day ahead of them.

Many expected the Swifts' promising early season form to peter out but so far McAree's charges have given every indication that they intend to maintain their challenge in the upper echelons.

Next up is a trip to Solitude to face Cliftonville on Monday.

McLaughlin sparks Glenavon revival

Paddy McLaughlin's Glenavon have picked up seven points from their past four league games

The appointment of Paddy McLaughlin as Glenavon manager in mid-November sparked hopes of an upturn in fortunes for the Lurgan Blues and two home wins in a row over Crusaders and Portadown on 3-1 and 2-0 scorelines respectively will increase expectation that the club can finish the season strongly in the top division.

The introduction of a three-nights-a-week training regime appears to be paying dividends for the mid-Ulster club, who also performed well in a 1-0 reverse against Linfield at Windsor Park despite coming away with no tangible reward.

Following Thursday's win over Niall Currie's team McLaughlin was quick to praise the quality of the squad he inherited from previous boss Stephen McDonnell, adding that they were "maybe just a bit down on themselves".

Although nobody at Mourneview will be getting carried away, that derby victory over the high-flying Ports will instil further confidence in the group ahead of Monday's trip to face Ballymena at the Showgrounds.

Things looking bleak for Loughgall

Further evidence of Loughgall's status as firm favourites for the drop came in the form of a 2-1 loss to Dungannon in their Boxing Day meeting.

The Villagers have now suffered 15 defeats and collected just 13 points from their 22 league games to date as they lie seven points adrift of 11th-placed Carrick at the foot of the Premiership table.

Dean Smith's side's defensive shortcomings are laid bare by the fact that they have now conceded 53 goals, 21 more than any other side in the top flight.

With 16 fixtures left to play, there is always time for the basement battlers to turn it around but with Glenavon's improved form and Carrick having the vastly experienced Stephen Baxter at the helm, it currently looks bleak for Loughgall in terms of preserving their Premiership status.