Barrow midfielder Sam Foley says the dressing-room culture at the club is behind their strong start to the season.
A 2-1 win at Grimsby Town on Saturday means they have 13 points from six League Two games and sit second in the table, behind early leaders Notts County.
It has been a fine start under new head coach Stephen Clemence, but Foley, 37, believes that Barrow are no longer a surprise package.
“To play for Barrow, you need to be a certain character, a certain personality,” he told BBC Radio Cumbria.
“That is something that has developed over the years.”
Foley scored in his first league start of the season as the Bluebirds hung on for three points at Blundell Park.
He is in his third season with them and enjoyed ninth and eighth-placed finishes under previous boss Pete Wild.
Players split their time between training in north Manchester and travelling up to the south west corner of Cumbria for matches.
And that geographical location has allowed the players to engender a strong identity, according to Foley.
“The culture at the football club is slightly different to a lot of clubs in the EFL,” he said. “The lads buy into that and fully accept who they are.
“That gives us the upper hand to be able to go to places, stick our chest out and say ‘We know what we are, we know what we can bring’ and we can punch it with the best.”