RICHARD O’Donnell reckons City have to adopt a siege mentality if they are going to win their battle against the drop.

It doesn’t get any easier for the rock-bottom Bantams as they head for high-flying Peterborough tomorrow.

But O’Donnell, who has been one of the most consistent performers of this sorry season, can sense a toughening up within the team’s mindset.

The City keeper said: “Generally, we have been a bit nastier defensively and stopped the chances coming and coming. I feel like I have had less to do in the last three games, especially.

"Everyone knows the situation and position we are in and we all know we have got to fight to get out of it.

“That is the positive thing. No-one is deluded enough to think it is just going to change like that.

“We know we have got to put in the hard stuff and performances like at Barnsley (in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday) give us that confidence.

“I’ve been in sides who have struggled before but probably not with this amount of losses.

“Everyone will have been different situations in changing rooms.

“Some will have been in some very good teams, some in a few poorer ones. The experience of the bad times will hopefully help us out.”

After the appalling second half at Gillingham, O’Donnell has seen an improvement in the games with Portsmouth, Aldershot and Barnsley.

He could sense that rising spirit in the Oakwell dressing room despite another defeat and hopes the prospect of facing one of the division’s big hitters can lift the performance level again.

O’Donnell added: "We know we cannot keep sitting here saying it is a good performance when we have not got any points or not got anything from a game.

“But if we keep playing like that, it will turn for us and we all believe that, which is the main thing.

" I think we have shown a lot of character in the last three games and are defending a lot better and minimising people to a few chances and creating a lot of chances.

“We have probably played better against the better teams this season - you look at Sunderland and Portsmouth.

“Hopefully, we can go to Peterborough and put in a performance like we know we can.”

Posh are League One’s top scorers with 33 goals – 21 more than City – but have won only three out of eight home games and lost the same number.

"They are probably better away this season,” said O’Donnell. “Although we are bottom of the league, we are confident.

“We know it is going to turn at some point and will go there confident to try and win the game.”

City’s losing run has left them seven adrift of safety with a considerably worse goal difference. But O’Donnell won't get too bogged down by the league table.

He said: “When you win a game, I try not to look at it and even though we are now losing, I do not want to look at it.

“I am trying to concentrate on one game at a time and pick up as many points as we can. Hopefully we can do that starting tomorrow.

“There is only us in the dressing room, the manager and the staff who are on the training ground every day who can turn this around.

“The fans have been brilliant considering what they have had to put up with at times.

“We want to give them something to cheer about and are trying our hardest to do that."