SCRUM-HALF Luke Baldwin believes Worcester Warriors are being hamstrung by the “top two inches” and is urging his team-mates to “start believing” in themselves.

Making the right decisions and carrying them out in the heat of battle will lift Warriors from the lower reaches of the Aviva Premiership, according to the 26-year-old.

Warriors travel to former champions Harlequins on Saturday and Baldwin insists the Sixways club can repeat last season’s 21-15 triumph at the Twickenham Stoop (3pm).

“We need to start believing,” said Baldwin, the former Bristol scrum-half.

“We have the desire to compete against every team in the division but it’s the top two inches where we need to train ourselves.

“We managed to get a winning habit in glimpses last season but the squad and depth of the squad are far better and a winning habit is something which would be quite nice.

“It’s just key areas of the game which let us down so it’s probably more of a mental thing that is needed and to concentrate at making sure when the other team is gaining ascendancy that we play clean and try to maintain a clear head when they are throwing the kitchen sink at us.

“We’ve got some class players in our side and a few players nearly back from injury so, in terms of individual performances, we’ve definitely got players who can step up.”

Warriors are 11th in the table with just one win under the belt this term and suffered a 34-13 defeat at Leicester Tigers in their last league outing.

Baldwin looks set to continue as a back-up to Jonny Arr in this weekend’s trip to Quins because South African Francois Hougaard returned from international duty with a shoulder problem.

Hougaard needs surgery on the problem and has been ruled out for 10 to 12 weeks.

Baldwin had his first-team chance last term and made four Premiership starts after Arr suffered a knee injury against Quins in January.

Warriors are expected to be without wing duo Cooper Vuna (knee), Perry Humphreys (knee) and Bryce Heem (knee).

Locks Will Spencer (back), Tevita Cavubati (broken foot), back Ben Howard (ankle) and centre Ryan Mills (groin) remain on the sidelines.

Lock Christian Scotland-Williamson (knee) and fly-half Tom Heathcote (concussion) were injured in Warriors’ 25-24 European Challenge Cup defeat against Brive last Saturday.

Prop Val Rapava-Ruskin (ankle) and flanker Carl Kirwan (dislocated finger) were hurt at Tigers.

However, skipper Gerrit-Jan van Velze has overcome concussion and flanker Dewald Potgieter is close to a return after a thigh problem.

Warriors have been ravaged by injury this term and Baldwin admitted: “I have never see anything like it.

"But in a positive sense it has brought out players like Christian, Perry, Jamie Shillcock and Josh Adams.

“Those guys have not looked out of place and in a way it’s potentially a blessing in disguise that the coaches have seen how well they can perform at this level.

“The youth coming through the club is phenomenal and their opportunities may have come about with senior players being injured, but it sets the stall for the future of the club.

“Will Butler is injured at the moment, while Huw Taylor is a fantastic player and the energy and enthusiasm from them and the likes of Zac Xiourouppa is what you want to see on the pitch.”

Baldwin added: “Someone like Huw, for example, is willing to step up in a team-talk and say something rather than hide in his shell and just let the senior players do the talking.”