Brunt wants Windsor roar

Chris Brunt has called for Northern Ireland to bring the good times back to Windsor Park.

The national side have not won in their last five matches on home soil, with former manager Nigel Worthington losing his last two games in Belfast and successor Michael O’Neill presiding over two draws and a defeat to date.

That sequence is a far cry from the days when the likes of England and Spain were both defeated, but West Brom captain Brunt is desperate to see a return.

A morale-boosting 1-1 draw in Portugal last month lifted the mood around the side, who now have an inviting chance to follow up with a home victory over Azerbaijan tomorrow night.

Brunt, who has at times been on the wrong end of terrace criticism, accepts that bringing an improved atmosphere to Windsor Park is essential if that is to be achieved.

“The nights when we have had good results at Windsor the fans have been our 12th man, as they say,” he said. “The last few home games maybe haven’t been like that, maybe because we haven’t provided the results.

“It’s just about trying to win the game. You don’t have to play well every time to win, but keeping the fans on board is a big part of it as well.

“It’s up to us to give them something to get behind us. You can hear the frustration from the stands and then the lads get frustrated as well.

“We are a small country with a small pool of players, but at the same time the games we have done poorly in have been against other small nations.’’