ROVERS Ladies boss Adam Lakeland believes it will be third time lucky when his side host Liverpool in the National Division tonight.

Rovers suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Reds in the quarter-finals of the Premier League Cup just 11 days ago, whilst they were held to a 1-1 draw on their league visit to Merseyside earlier in the season.

But Lakeland is confident his side can set the record straight against the top-flight newcomers.

He said: "Without wanting to dwell too much on the past, I felt that we played quite well in our two previous meetings with Liverpool this season. We created a lot of chances, but individual errors and a lack of luck on the day have cost us in both games.

"So the players are highly motivated to get the job done tonight, because the cup defeat really hurt us all.

"Our full focus is on the league now, which is a competition we are doing well in. Both teams have played 10 games in the league this season and we are already 10 points clear of Liverpool, so this shows the kind of start we've made.

"And if we can win tonight, we will move ahead of Watford and will only be one point behind Bristol Academy, who are in first place.

"So we know are opponents well and we are confident we can get the three points."

It was a day of disappointment all round when Rovers were knocked out the cup competition they really fancied their chances in, as full-back Jayne Eadie was shown a straight red card for dissent and striker Caroline Dixon limped off early in the second half.

"We are going to make a couple of changes for tonight's game, but we should be virtually back to full strength," added Lakeland.

"With the exception of Caz Dixon, who will be out for between four and six weeks with a broken metatarsal, we welcome back Natalie Brewer and Katie Anderton to the team, whilst Jayne Eadie's suspension doesn't kick in until the end of the month."

Kick-off at Clitheroe FC's Shawbridge Stadium is at 7.45pm.