Holloway's the leading villain in local feud

Queens Park Rangers and Bristol City may not be natural rivals but tomorrow's clash will be steeped in mutual dislike.

Never mind February's little local difficulty at Brentford, the journey down the M4 is the trip all Rangers fans have been waiting for.

Tomorrow's Second Division game has more sub-plots than a steamy airport thriller. As if both clubs' need for points to cement their promotion push is not enough, the presence of three former Bristol Rovers players on the Rangers team bus, plus City old boy Tony Thorpe, will guarantee Rangers a hostile reception.

Such things matter in Bristol. Although returning Rovers old boys Jamie Cureton and Marcus Bignott cannot expect a warm welcome, most vitriol will be reserved for Ian Holloway, who has revelled in his role as Bristol's pantomime villain for 12 years - first as a combative midfielder and then manager.

The Rangers manager has grievances of his own, having taken exception to a distasteful article in the City programme that appeared to celebrate Dan Shittu's horrendous cruciate injury. But on the eve of a combustible encounter, he has no wish to stir the pot further. Holloway said: "They're all massive games until the end of the season but Bristol City away is even more special. They don't like me much down there but it doesn't bother me anymore. Bristol need to change the record. It's old hat now, given I live in St Albans and work for QPR.

"They seem to have a problem with Rangers and enjoyed Shittu getting injured, but we won't rise to it. My players are aware of what was written in their programme and it's funny where you can get motivation from. Sometimes it can backfire, so we're not going to give them anything to work with. They'll be up for it anyway and the last thing I want to do is start a riot."