EDF ENERGY ANGLO-WELSH CUP SEMI-FINAL
Venue: Ricoh Arena, Coventry Date: Saturday 28 March Kick-off: 1430 GMT
Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC Radio Gloucestershire, BBC Radio Wales MW and BBC Sport website; score updates on BBC Radio 5 Live

Olly Barkley says Gloucester's habit of losing big games is not an issue going into their EDF Cup semi-final against the Ospreys in Coventry on Saturday.

Gloucester have been labelled big-match chokers after failing to win any silverware in recent seasons.

"The bottler tag has been so abundant in the past two or three years that it's water off a duck's back at the moment," Barkley told BBC Points West.

"If you let it get to you, we will all struggle in big games."

In each of the last two seasons Gloucester have failed to land the Premiership title in the end-of-season play-offs after finishing at top of the regular-season table.

They have also fallen short in the Heineken Cup despite boasting a squad of dazzling talent and amazing strength in depth.

606: DEBATE Whoever dominates the kicking will win this game manoftheshed

Barkley is not tainted by the stigma of high-profile failure, having joined the club's stellar squad from Bath at the start of this season.

But he is intent on helping the club right those wrongs in a competition in which they last reached the last four in 2005, when the centre was part of a Bath side blocking Gloucester's route.

However, he knows the Ospreys, who have reached the last two EDF Energy Cup finals and are defending champions, represent a formidable challenge on the road to a first Cherry and Whites trophy since the European Challenge Cup success of 2006.

"There's no doubt that we haven't won games at the top end that we've been required to win and the critics are probably justified," he added.

"But this is a chance to put that right and put ourselves into a final which would be fantastic.

"Ospreys are a great side and are fully equipped to put a big attack out against us, but we're confident. We're lucky at Gloucester to have strength in depth and a lot of quality in our backline.

"Often in big games it's about applying yourself on the day and they have a lot of players with big-game experience, as have we.

"And more often than not at the top level it's more about who can have that mental edge on the day and the first 15 minutes will be key to that."

In the absence of experienced fly-half Carlos Spencer, who is cup-tied having represented Northampton in the competition earlier in the season, more responsibility will fall on Barkley's shoulders as well of those of captain Mike Tindall, who is desperate to bring some silverware to Kingsholm.

"It's the only thing that we've been missing for the last three or four years," said centre Tindall, who is back in club colours for the first time since January because of international commitments.

"We've always been the so-nearly team and we're always going to have that tag unless we do something about it. We've got the potential to go out and compete for two trophies and that's going to be our massive goal.

"It's not going to be easy, but it's a great challenge."

Tindall is one of five Gloucester players returning from Six Nations duty, while the Ospreys had 10 starters in the titanic battle between Wales and Ireland in the final match of the tournament.

But Tindall and his colleagues do not expect their Welsh rivals, or indeed Ireland's Tommy Bowe, to be suffering a hangover from that match and its meaning.

"I don't think it's going to matter that much," said Tindall.

"They won't let what happens in a different regime affect them.

"They always say they want to win things and their motivation will be even higher rather than lower."

Gloucester's Welsh number eight Gareth Delve added: "They're fantastic characters. They'll react well and come back at us even more dangerous than before.

"They'll be wounded from losing that game at the weekend, but this is a different competition and it's sometimes nice to get back to your club and have the distraction of a big semi-final to fall straight back into.

"They're a fantastic team and it's really hard to try and pick a weakness in the side. The only test is to see how those collective individuals play as a team.

"They're obviously fantastic threats throughout the side, but we'll be looking to match that and come back with a few of our own."

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