LOCK Darren Barry insists Worcester Warriors can no longer use “bogey team” as an excuse as they look to dispel their Bath hoodoo in the Gallagher Premiership today (12.45pm).

Warriors have lost all 13 meetings with Bath at The Rec stretching back to 2005.

But having ended wretched away records against Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs with shock victories over the past 12 months Barry, 28, believes there is no reason why Worcester cannot win in Somerset.

“We have got no excuses now,” said the Bristol-born second row.

“If we can beat Exeter away from home and if we can beat Leicester at Welford Road three times on the trot then we can’t use the bogey team excuse anymore.

“We have got to make sure we turn up on the day and perform as well as we know we can.

“If we do we will be a tough team to beat. Hopefully we can catch Bath and come away with four points.”

Seventh-placed Warriors sit one position above Bath on points difference and have won six of their last eight games in all competitions.

Barry said his free-scoring team were “riding the wave of momentum” and looking to “score as fast as we can” when they meet Bath.

“We are going into games confident and I think other teams can see that as well,” Barry said.

“Maybe that’s enabled us to start games pretty well and see sides off.

“This year our attack has centred on playing what you see so if you feel the offload is on then do it and we will react off the back of that.

“That’s why our attack has been a bit more free-flowing this year.

“We don’t want to go through the phases for the sake of it.

“If we can score off first phase then we will.

“When we need to be patient we will be but in general we will try to score as fast as we can and build a score from there.”

While Warriors have been firing in the European Challenge Cup and Premiership Cup Bath have lost their last three matches and not won in any competition since late September.

“Bath have been fairly inconsistent this year with some good results and some poor performances,” Barry said.

“We just need to concentrate on ourselves. We have had a couple of weeks now where we have done the analysis on them.

“We are looking forward to it as we have shown we can compete with anyone this season.”

This fixture has further significance for Barry as his father Derek, also a lock, represented Bath 118 times between 1977 and 1982.

“I actually cheered on Bath when I was a little boy and was told off for pronouncing it wrong,” Barry recalled.

“My dad played there in the late 70s and 80s and I have been told he was not a bad second row.

“That adds a little twist to it. It is certainly nice to go down there and I would like to come back with a win.”