Rangers travel to non-league neighbours Harrow Borough on Tuesday night for the penultimate friendly of their summer campaign. We caught up with Boro manager Dave Howell this week for an insight into what QPR can expect from their hosts.

Harrow Borough v Queens Park Rangers
Pre-Season Friendly
Earlsmead, Tuesday July 31, Kick Off 7:45pm

The original plan for this Tuesday night involved the Readers Digest Book of the Road and a trip north to Shrewsbury for the hardy few who wanted to tick off another ground on their list. The Shrews of course got a better offer, from Premiership side Manchester City, and promptly cancelled their proposed game with the R's leaving us staring down the barrel of a trip to Bristol City with just three games under our belts. After the disastrous preparations of last summer QPR fans everywhere rolled their eyes and wondered just what could go wrong next.

However a solution from within the club's support base presented itself. Lifelong QPR fan and current manager of Harrow Borough Dave Howell had a team at his disposal and a night to spare at just the right time and so tomorrow night John Gregory's men make the short hop to the Earlsmead ground to take on the Ryman Premier League outfit in their third warm up game of the summer. With only Fulham at home on Friday night to go this match against our near neighbours will be an important part of the build up to that opening week, and with a QPR man in charge of the opposition perhaps we might get away without the likes of Martin Rowlands being kicked up in the air too much!

There's plenty in this from a Harrow point of view as well. They beat league side Brentford 1-0 last week and got a decent crowd in for that one. The chance to go up against a Championship team, and the gate money from a game played in the heart of a strong QPR support base, will certainly benefit them.

It's a match preview with a difference this week. As you know what usually happens now is Tracy, David or myself pretends to know a little bit about our opposition and the players we're going to need to watch out for. However, what I know about Harrow Borough can be written on the back of a postage stamp in a thick pen so we decided the best thing to do would be ask the man in charge instead. Boro manager and QPR fan Dave Howell was kind enough to spare some time for us at the end of last week and introduce himself, and his team, ahead of this week's friendly match. Massive thanks to Dave for the friendly, and for speaking to LFW of course.

Five minutes with Harrow Borough manager Dave Howell
Boro manger Dave Howell started his professional career with Fulham in 1978, but did not make the first team and moved into non-league football with Harrow Borough, winning the 1984 Isthmian League Premier Division Championship as a player there.

A move to Enfield followed where he was finally able to end his run of three FA Trophy semi final defeats by getting to Wembley and lifting the cup - beating Telford afer a replay.

The first black captain of the England National Game XI, Dave got a £10k move to Barnet in 1990 and wrote himself into the club's history books with a headed goal on the final day of the 1990/91 season as the Bees won the Conference and promotion into the football league.

Dave scored three goals in the 1991/92 season as Barnet finished seventh and lost in the play offs. This was of course during Barry Fry's reign at Underhill and they continued their meteoric rise up the league ladder with promotion from the newly named Division Three in 1992/93. Howell followed Fry to Southend after the financial demise and break up of that promotion winning team largely due in Howell's opinion to Chairman Stan Flashman.

Fry took Howell to Birmingham during the 1993/94 season as player coach and the Brummies won promotion from Division Two and the AutoGlass Trophy at Wembley.

Howell returned to Harrow Borough as assistant manager to Edwin Stein who had also followed Fry from Barnet to Southend and then to St Andrews before taking over as Harrow manager. In November 2003 he took over as caretaker manager and got the job permanently in February.

The club is now focussed very much on youth and community development and have fostered numerous excellent links with local schools and youth clubs under Howell's watchful eye.

Howell said: "I have supported and followed QPR from as early as the late 60's and recall being a very young member of the Roger Morgan fan club before he got transferred to Spurs. I am from West London and despite my various jobs in football I have always followed my local team QPR.

"On Tuesday night at Earlsmead I hope QPR and Harrow Boro supporters thoroughly enjoy the match - I know I will. I also hope QPR fans turn up on the night in great numbers and the rain holds off!"

Dave thanks for sparing us the time to tell us a little about your side. How has your pre-season gone so far? A 1-0 win over league side Brentford last week must give you great hope for the coming season. Who have you added to your squad this summer?
The players have trained very hard but we still have quite a way to go before I'm happy with the way I would like us to play. Jamie Lawrence will be my player coach and will assist my current coach Ken Charlery. I would like us to pass on our experience from our professional background to some of our talented youngsters.

Is there a long term plan at Harrow or is it just a case of survival from one season to the next in an increasingly tough climate for football clubs?
It is definitely a tough climate in football especially for clubs like Harrow Boro who find it increasingly difficult to survive financially but I do have a very talented squad of young players and with the right blend of experience I think we will surprise a few people in the Ryman Premiership this season.

We noticed Richard Pacquette's name on the team sheet for your friendly against Harefield. He was a player that showed a lot of early promise at Loftus Road but lost his way somewhat. What's the situation with him now? Is he somebody you're looking at taking on?
Richard Pacquette is a good friend and did lose his way but is now back on track at Havant & Waterlooville and was actually doing extra training with us as we started our pre season much earlier than they did.

You've got a home game to start the season but then two away games at Staines and Hornchurch. What would be a reasonable start for you and what are the targets for this season?
I might not be able to get all the players I need by the start of the season. This is due to the financial uncertainty at the club but despite this I am looking to give my squad much greater strength in depth. We suffered last season because the squad overall was not strong enough. It would be nice to get off to a good start.

It's obviously hard for a manager to pick out individuals but are there any Harrow players QPR fans should be watching out for on Tuesday? I notice Albert Adomah has scored in both friendlies so far.
Albert Adomah is obviously a player to watch and he lives a stone throw away from Loftus Road but he will not be the only player that will hopefully catch the eye of QPR supporters.

Two players stand out from the Harrow squad list - Aaron 'son of Les' Ferdinand and Steve Claridge. Is Steve likely to play much for you this year and what's he like to have around? Obviously Les is a bit of a QPR legend - what's Aaron like as a player? Is he staying with you for this season?
Steve Claridge is a model professional. He still has the ability to lead from the front and was a great and positive influence around my young players. On the pitch he kept the ball and brought my younger inexperienced players in to the game off the pitch he was brilliant in the changing room and I could visibly see the confidence he gave to my squad while he was here.

Unfortunately Steve is a very busy man on the media side of things and it was only because we have known each other for over 20 years that I managed to persuade him to help me and my team out towards the latter end of last season.

Aaron Ferdinand unfortunately while he was at Harrow had various injuries and never really settled. Ideally I would have liked him to have played in my reserves for a period of time and then to reassess how he was progressing. I spoke to Les and both agreed this was the best course for Aaron but unfortunately this never materialised. I think he just needs to settle at a club and get on with playing regular football and this will help him to develop and improve as a striker.

John Gregory seemed to turn things around for QPR just in the nick of time at the end of last season, as an R's fan how do you think we will do this campaign with the signings made and a full pre-season under Gregory behind us?
I was at Birmingham City as first team coach under Barry Fry and at the same time John Gregory was first team coach at Aston Villa under Brian Little. I think it will be very tough season for John Gregory but I wish him well and hope he can bring some degree of success to the team that I have supported and followed for over four decades.

You've spent a lot of time in your career playing for and working with Barry Fry. We see the revolving door transfer policy and mad celebrations up the touchline - what's he actually like to work with? Is there a favourite Barry Fry story you'd like to share with us!?
Barry Fry is a very colourful character and he might sue me if I start revealing some of the stories that went on while I worked with him at Barnet, Southend and Birmingham City. Seriously Barry has an incredible love for football that has at times suffocated him and his family but don't be fooled by any his crazy antics - he knows his football inside out. His knowledge of players up and down the country is unbelievable and he has the ability to recognise talent early in players at any level.

What's the team news?
The vultures are circling at Loftus Road again this week and with alleged transfer embargoes and dodgy loans knocking around it's perhaps not surprising that news about the team for this friendly has been few and far between. I'd expect the team Gregory wants to start at Bristol City to play against Fulham on Friday so maybe we'll see some of the players less likely to start that game play at Harrow. If that's the case expect to see the likes of Rehman, Ward, Moore and Nygaard featuring heavily.

Harrow have a fully fit squad to choose from and will unsurprisingly be putting out their strongest 11 for this one. Their only absentee is last season's top goalscorer James Bent who has been playing football in America this summer and only returns from his trip one week before the start of the season.

Form
QPR have two wins and two defeats under their belts so far this pre-season. Crawley Town were beaten 3-2 at the training ground and Martin Rowlands scored a great free kick in a 1-0 win at Wycombe on Saturday. However Barnet secured a worrying 2-1 win in a behind closed doors match at Harlington and Celtic ran us ragged at Loftus Road earlier this month. It's important to start bringing things together in these final two friendly matches as we look ahead to Bristol City on day one.

Harrow beat our neighbours Brentford 1-0 last week, an impressive pre-season scalp for Boro who currently reside three divisions below the League Two Bees. Prior to that they romped to a 5-1 victory against Harefield at Brunel University. They still have to face Hillingdon, Waltham Abbey and Edgware Town, who they've rescued from extinction with a ground share agreement this summer, in friendlies before kicking off the season against Armel Tchakounte's former club Carshalton on August 18.

Prediction
Terribly difficult to call with few clues as to what kind of team QPR will be putting out. With just one more match left, against Fulham on Friday night, it's likely to be a stronger Rangers side than would normally be the case for this kind of match so therefore you'd hope we will be able to win. Harrow have good results behind them so far this summer though and should give as good as they get. I'll go for Rangers by three clear goals but really games like this are a lottery so we'll see.

How to get to Earlsmead

Harrow Official Website

Photo: Action Images

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