Chris Wilder returns to his old club Bradford tomorrow predicting a tough test for his Oxford United team.

The Yorkshire club, who played in the Premiership as recently as 2001, have been on the slide since then, and are languishing in 20th position in League Two.

But the 25,000-capacity Coral Window Stadium at Valley Parade is an impressive arena, and City are the division’s best-supported club, regularly packing in 11,000 for each game.

Wilder played 42 league games for Bradford City in the 1997-8 campaign and says: “It’s a great club and I really enjoyed my time there.

“We were in the Championship and I played with some really good players at a club that was on the up at the time. I think everyone’s disappointed with the financial problems that have happened.

“This year a lot of people have tipped them to go well.

“It’s still early in the season so everybody understands that two or three wins strung together can stick them right amongst it.”

In their last game at Valley Parade, the Bantams turned on the style, beating Cheltenham 3-1 and playing some very good football.

Wilder said: “They had a really good performance in their last home game, and it’s a place where the crowd really get behind them so it’s a big test for us.

“There are going to be periods of the game when it’s going to be in their favour.

“We’ve got to be brave in and out of possession but, barring 45 minutes, we’ve been pretty competitive away from home.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, we’re establishing ourselves in this league and these kinds of games are why we got promoted. It’s a game everybody should be looking forward to, and I’m looking forward to seeing how my team goes.”

City have in boss Peter Taylor, a former England caretaker manager – it was he who first handed the captaincy to David Beckham – and in ex-Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie, a former England international (again for just one game).

Released by Derby County in the summer, Hendrie finished last season on loan at Brighton.

Aged 33, he’s still a quality player, and Taylor kept him back for this clash with Oxford, leaving him out at Burton last week after he had tweaked a knee in training.

Hendrie tends to play on the left in a 4-4-2 formation, but drifts inside to cause problems.

“They’ve got a lot of decent players,” Wilder said.

“It’s going to be a difficult ask for us, but the players are relishing going up the road and playing at a big stadium and raising their level.

It’s a return to their old club too for United centre back Jake Wright and reserve keeper Simon East-wood, whose only league experience came with the Bantams.

Oxford’s last game at Bradford was back in May 1999, when the club, in turmoil off the field, were relegated from Division One.

It finished 0-0, as did the corresponding fixture the previous season.

And the year before that – 1997 – Oxford’s 2-0 defeat at Valley Parade represented centre half Matt Elliott’s final game for the U’s before his £1.6m move to Leicester City, which remains United’s record sale.