LIVERPOOL skipper Andy Rogers believes that the undoubted class of Steve Nealey and Ashley MacDonald will help his team climb the First Division table over the second half of the season.

The pair have not yet scored the runs expected of them so far this summer, and Liverpool’s ninth place in the league makes the Aigburth side one of four mid-table clubs covered by six points.

“Ashley scored 823 runs last year but he’s only got 229 this season,” said Rogers. “Steve’s scored around 700 runs in each of the last five seasons but he’s having a bad trot at the moment. I’m absolutely confident his form will return though.”

Liverpool are at home to Maghull tomorrow and Rogers remains convinced that it is not too late for his team’s fortunes to be transformed.

“It’s been a funny season really because although we started badly and have lost our last two games, we’re still only a couple of wins away from the top three,” he said.

And while he is waiting for some of his team’s expected sources of runs to resume normal service, Rogers has been grateful for the form of his Australian all-rounder Daniel Burns, whose 307 runs in June earned him the Bridging Finance Batsman of the Month award. He said: “We had a slight change of policy over the winter because we opted to sign a young first-grade cricketer rather than an overseas player with first-class experience.”