BRING it on is the message from defender Leon Barnett as Bury prepare to battle with League One’s elite as the season approaches the home stretch.

In their remaining five matches, the Shakers will come face-to-face with four of the division's top 10 sides.

Bradford (fifth), Rochdale (ninth), Bolton (second) and Southend (sixth) all harbour hopes of at least a play-off place.

It may look like a daunting prospect for a Bury side struggling to beat the drop, but after losing just two of their last 11 matches Barnett says he and his team-mates are brimming with confidence.

Tuesday night's shock 5-1 defeat at Oxford will have shaken them a bit, but the Shakers defender is still relishing the opportunity to test himself against the best.

“We are embracing playing these top teams,” Barnett said. “We have really held our own (against most of them). We have gone to Millwall and got a point. We took Fleetwood on, who are third in the table, so we have shown in the past few weeks that we can play the top teams and come out of it with positive results.

“(Before the Oxford defeat) I think a lot of teams were looking at Bury and thinking they’re a feared team. I think those top teams will still fear us a bit.

“The boys here have faith in their ability.

"You can see form our stats we are one of the best teams in the form guide.

“To be honest, once the season is over, we will concentrate on pushing on next year because we have shown we can mix it with the top teams.”

Since returning from a calf injury in February, Barnett has slotted into the Shakers’ back-five and helped to keep seven clean sheets in 10 games.

The recent upturn in form has dragged Bury up to 17th place, four points above the drop zone.

But with rivals having games in hand, they are not out of the woods.

However, Barnett, the former Norwich and Wigan defender, claims not to look at the league table, especially given the club’s dramatic fall from grace after making it up to second place in September.

“I don’t look at the table,” Barnett added. “When we went on that poor run I stopped looking at the table because I didn’t feel we deserved to be down there.

“At the moment we’re doing well but I’m not sure where we are – we just need to keep ticking the games down and keep getting these points.

“I don’t know whether it’s the boys’ mentality or the formation but something has clicked.

“We take pride in keeping clean sheets and long may it continue.”