BEATING Bath for the first time in nine meetings would send a clear message to rest of the league, according to Worcester Warriors full-back Chris Pennell.

The West Country club have not lost to Warriors since crashing to a 16-7 defeat at Sixways in November 2011.

But Bath have failed to win away in the Aviva Premiership since overcoming Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Pak at the end of October.

Pennell said: “Bath are a team in form and full of superstars and it’s a great opportunity for us to put down a marker and send out a message to the rest of the league to show we can beat anybody on our day.

“We certainly feel like we can and we think we’ve got the game to more than match up to Bath.

“It will be an exciting prospect and hopefully in front of a big crowd which is always how we want to be playing our home games.

“I think it’s going to be a very open game.

"Bath like to play rugby and have a lot of ball players. George Ford will try to get the ball out a lot to Jonathan Joseph.

“Joseph makes good decisions with his kicking and running and also has good distribution.

“Bath have threats across the board and we can’t afford lapses in concentration because they have the firepower to take advantage.”

Pennell, who turns 30 on April 26, has had a stop-start season for Warriors, making just 11 appearances this term.

He had a neck operation in the summer which kept him out of action until October.

Worcester-born Pennell then hurt his foot which meant he missed two months.

He was in the wars against Wasps last month after suffering a nasty cut to the head in making a try-saving tackle on Kurtley Beale.

“On reflection, had we come away from Sale Sharks with nothing last Friday it would have been pretty devastating,” said Pennell.

“We certainly felt we were more than capable of winning the game so it was very frustrating and we’ve had several of those situations this season.

“We’ve got to break the habit and we’ve got one more opportunity away from home this season to do it.

“It all lies in our court and it’s from our mistakes.

"It’s when we drift away from systems or a lapse in concentration that is costing us.

“The guys were working incredibly hard at Sale and it looked so comfortable from the back and it was just one little lapse that cost us.

“For Mike Haley’s try you could see it coming but the guys worked so hard for so long. That’s difference from where we are to where want to be heading."

Pennell added: “We have three games left and we have to win all three.

"We are in a situation where anything can happen.

“We saw last weekend how close Bristol were to coming away with five points and we’re certainly not out of the woods yet.

“We have to be focused and we have to win the last three games and cement our position in the Premiership.”