In the second of this week's previews of teams the Town will face next season we focus on Chris Wilder's U's - the second favourites for the Blue Square Premier title behind the Hatters.

Nickname: The U's

Manager: Chris Wilder

Ground: Kassam Stadium

Last season: Conference 7th

2008/09 average attendance: 4,879

2009/10 BSP title odds: 4/1

Previous meetings:

Luton wins: 13

Oxford wins: 11

Draws: 7

In the head-to-head record between the two sides the Hatters hold a narrow advantage with 13 wins to 11.

We have met 26 times in the Football League, winning 11, drawing six and losing nine. The last meeting was at the Kassam Stadium on Boxing Day 2001 when the Town won 2-1 thanks to goals from Dean Crowe and Matthew Spring.

We have also met the U's in the Littlewoods Cup semi-final of 1987/88, the Worthington Cup in 1998/99 and the Auto Windscreens Shield in 1999/2000.

During the 1987/88 campaign the two sides met in the old First Division with the Town coming out on top in both games in which 18 goals were scored in the 7-4 and 5-2 victories.

Apart from this we have met in numerous friendlies over the years as well as the Metropolitan League in the 1950's when Oxford were still known as Headington United.

Recent history:

Oxford, like the Hatters, will be one of just two sides in the Blue Square Premier next season who have played at the top level of English football and won a major trophy (not including AFC Wimbledon).

The U's climb to the then First Division started when the club won back-to-back league titles in the early 1980s, firstly lifting the Division Three title in 1983/84 before adding the Division Two title the following season.

A season passed in the First Division before the U's were winning silverware again - this time adding the Milk (League) Cup to their trophy cabinet in 1986 following a Wembley victory over Queens Park Rangers.

After battling relegation from the top flight for several seasons the club finally succumbed to the drop to the Second Division in 1987/88.

Relegation followed in 1993/94 from what was then called Division One (today's Championship) but bounced back to second tier with promotion in 1994/95 under the stewardship of Denis Smith.

However, the U's found themselves back in the third tier with a relegation in 1998/99.

Oxford lasted just two seasons in Division Two before their relegation along with the Hatters during a disastrous 2000/01 campaign in which they conceded 100 goals which meant demotion to the league's basement division.

A bad first season in Division Three - that marked the club's first at their new Kassam Stadium home - was followed by two campaigns where the U's narrowly missed out on the promotion play-offs places.

However, the 2005/06 saw them relegated on the final day of the season following a 3-2 defeat to Leyton Orient at the Kassam Stadium.

It meant that in 2006/07 the U's had to start life outside of the Football League. An unbeaten run at the beginning of the campaign looked as thought it had secured them an immediate return to the Football League, but a loss of form saw them pipped to the title by Dagenham & Redbridge and they lost in the play-off semi-finals to Exeter City.

A mid-table finish in 2007/08 was followed by last season's seventh place finish in the Blue Square Premier where they landed up finishing four points off the play-offs.

It meant the U's were made to rue the fielding of an unregistered player during the campaign where they were deducted five points by the Conference as punishment.

FACT: The Oxford crest reflects the name and history of the city. Oxford was originally a market town situated near to a ford on the River Isis, which was used by cattle. The representation of the ox above a ford to symbolises this.

Official website: www.oufc.co.uk

Tomorrow: Rushden & Diamonds.

Previews so far - click the teams below:

AFC Wimbledon

Altrincham

Barrow

Cambridge United

Chester City

Crawley Town

Eastbourne Borough

Ebbsfleet United

Gateshead

Hayes & Yeading

Histon

Kettering Town

Kidderminster Harriers