TO his former Spurs team-mate he was Rodney Trotter, but at Queens Park Rangers lanky striker Peter Crouch is hoping to have the last laugh.

The beanpole front man is no stranger to jibes abut his gangly frame.

But at six feet, seven inches tall he takes it all in his lengthy stride and insists there is more to his game than standing head and shoulders above central defenders waiting for the ball to come his way.

"It doesn't bother me because I've had it for a long time now. I have had all sorts of nicknames because I have always been quite tall," Crouch explained.

"But I like to think I can do more than just head the ball.

"I can play with both feet, I'm quite good at holding the ball up and I have got a good touch for a big man."

Burnley will find out tomorrow how accurate the 19-year-old's claims are as they look to extend an impressive away record which has seen them win on three of their last four trips.

Something may have to give, however, as Rangers are unbeaten at home.

Despite that Gerry Francis's side are struggling in 17th place after back-to-back defeats away from home.

And the Londoners have plenty to do if they are fulfill Crouch's ambitions and challenge for the play-offs.

"That is where we are pushing for and hopefully we can do it. I want to score goals and play in the Premiership and hopefully I can do that with QPR," he said.

The Macclesfield-born striker left a Premiership club when he made the return trip from Spurs to Loftus Road this summer.

As a 14-year-old, Crouch was taken from Rangers to Tottenham by Francis and after his departure the youngster came through the White Hart Lane ranks under Christian Gross and then George Graham. However, it wasn't a meteoric rise and Crouch was happy to be reunited with Francis when the former QPR playing favourite, now two years into his second spell as manager, paid £60,000 to bring him back home.

"Gerry Francis convinced me to come back by saying I had a chance of playing regular first-team football.

"I wasn't getting that at Tottenham and struggled at times to get in the reserves.

"I signed professional terms there two years ago and they didn't want me to leave but I felt the time was right.

"I don't think George Graham really fancied me as a player," Crouch admitted.

It's been a steady if unspectacular start to his League career at Rangers with just a couple of goals so far.

But he has been a constant member of the side and will be re-united tomorrow with regular strike partner Chris Kiwomya, who is set to return from injury against the Clarets.

Burnley have been defensively sound so far but in-form defenders Steve Davis and Ian Cox couldn't have asked for a greater contrast between dealing with Crouch and the diminutive Sheffield Wednesday strikeforce they dominated in mid-week.

Crouch has been compared with a young Niall Quinn but it is England rather than Irish honours he is chasing.

"If I do half was well as he has done I will be very happy.

"At the moment I just want to become a regular in the first-team.

"All the players at QPR have been really good to me and helped me fit in and I would love to do well enough to follow Clarke Carlisle and get picked for England's under-21s," he said.