Oxford United are one of ten clubs who have appealed to the Football Association in a bid to overturn the Football Conference’s decision to have Chester’s results expunged.

They have discovered that the Conference acted against their own rules in wiping out all the results of Chester City, who folded mid-season.

Their regulations state there was the option of either having the results expunged, or awarding three points to those clubs who still had to play them in their remaining league fixtures.

Yet the clubs were never given the chance to vote on which option they preferred.

Oxford had three points taken away, and Stevenage six wiped out, through Chester’s results being expunged, but Luton Town gained massively, having twice drawn with Chester during the season.

Luton could today go above Oxford United into second place if they win at Ebbsfleet.

Oxford United and the other nine clubs issued a joint statement last night.

It said: “The strength of feeling within the clubs that have appealed is that the decision to expunge points so late in the season was not the right way of dealing with this situation.

“We don’t think that it was fair or reasonable when the Conference as a whole is considered.

“By the time Chester were expelled, 80 per cent of the playing season had passed and we believe it would have been fairer to all to have awarded teams three points for the unplayed games, a solution the FA has previously implemented.

“This way all events that happened on the field of play, whether they be points gained or lost, bookings, injuries, bonus payments, goals scored etc all count, which is as it should be.

“We do not believe it fair that points and the record of goals scored are expunged, yet bookings incurred in those games remain in force and count towards match bans.”

The precedent involved Spennymoor United, who failed to play several of their scheduled Unibond League games in 2005.

The Football Conference have until April 8 to serve a reply, after which the FA will announce a date for a hearing.