MIDFIELD enforcer Marvin Bartley has set his sights on a strong end to the season, both individually and collectively, after earning a recent run in the team.

The former Bournemouth ace has spent much of the season playing understudy to Chris McCann and Dean Marney.

Bartley was on the back foot at the start of the campaign, missing the Capital One Cup first round game at Port Vale as a result of an ankle injury carried over from the 2011/12 term which forced him to miss the start of pre-season.

Bartley was on the bench for the Championship opener against Bolton Wanderers, and after achieving full fitness when on to feature in eight games under Eddie Howe, before his return to Bournemouth.

But appearances have been hard to come by under Sean Dyche until the last month.

Injury to Marney has allowed Bartley a recent run in the side, with the 26-year-old starting five out of the last six games.

Although recognising the strength of competition within the Clarets camp, he is hoping to maintain his place to help Burnley push up in the table in the final six games of the season.

“The gaffer has a good squad and good players, especially in my position,” he said.

“I have had to be patient and now my chance is here I just aim to perform every game. Each time the manager picks me I just give a hundred per cent and hope that that shows up on the pitch.”

Bartley was a stand-out performer in the derby with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, and has since kept his place in the side.

He has been as frustrated as anyone that all of those last three games have resulted in draws for the Clarets, after leading in all of them, and winning two out of three until the last minute of stoppage time.

Bartley felt particularly aggrieved after Easter Monday’s 1-1 draw, when Nottingham Forest scored with the last kick of the game from the penalty spot.

But he insisted the Clarets would use the disappointment as a spur going into the run-in, starting with Saturday’s visit of rock bottom Bristol City as the club bids to increase the current four-point gap from the bottom three.

“Points have been taken away from us in the dying minutes and I, for one, feel unlucky,” said Bartley.

“But I’m not going to dwell on it. You have to take the positive side of things and we just need to push on this Saturday and try to get the three points.”