A couple of days later than anticipated, Stevenage kick off their pre-season campaign on Saturday afternoon, when Watford arrive at Broadhall Way for a friendly fixture.
Meanwhile, the Hornets have already taken part in two exhibition games this month, suffering a two-goal defeat to Reading before redeeming themselves against Boreham Wood.
Match preview
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League One outfit Stevenage were supposed to have already had one friendly under their belts by now, as Norwich City were scheduled arrive at Broadhall Way on Tuesday evening, only for the encounter to be cancelled due to unexpected pitch refurbishment works.
However, new manager Alex Revell - who was officially appointed in May after earning a win and a draw from two matches as caretaker boss - still has five friendly matches pencilled into the calendar, and Saturday's game is expected to go ahead with no hitches.
Revell was promoted to first-team managerial duties following the surprise exit of Steve Evans to Rotherham United, and he takes charge of a Boro side who came close but not close enough to sneaking into the League One playoffs last term, placing ninth with 71 points.
Stevenage were just five points shy of Barnsley in the final post-season position but were ultimately made to pay for an underwhelming spring period, where only two of their final 12 fixtures ended in victory, including their closing contest against Cheltenham Town.
Following the visit of Watford, Stevenage will enjoy a brief sojourn to Jersey to take on the Jersey Bulls, before also clashing with Coventry City, Braintree Town and Chelsea's Under-21s before commencing the new League One season at home to Shrewsbury Town on August 10.
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As is the case with their third-tier hosts, Watford have also undergone a period of managerial transition - which is par for the course at Vicarage Road - as Tom Cleverley prepares for his first full campaign in charge of the Hornets.
The former Manchester United midfielder was given the reins on a permanent basis in April following a few weeks as caretaker head coach but could only help Watford to a 15th-placed ranking in the Championship after a truly forgettable second-tier campaign.
Only one of the Hornets' last eight fixtures of the 2023-24 season ended in victory, and Cleverley also oversaw a disappointing 2-0 loss to Reading in their opening exhibition match of the summer, before Wednesday's successful stopover at Boreham Wood.
Jack Grieves's strike was the telling moment in that fixture, which the kickoff time was changed for due to England's participation in the Euro 2024 semi-finals, although the Hornets survived a momentary scare when a Boreham Wood trialist struck the post from the penalty spot.
Gillingham, Wycombe Wanderers, Brentford and Hibernian will also test Watford's mettle in an action-packed pre-season for Cleverley and co, who then head to Millwall on August 10 for their first Championship fixture of the campaign.
Team News
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Stevenage have already been busy in terms of incomings and outgoings this summer, welcoming Daniel Phillips, Dan Kemp, Louis Appere and Lewis Freestone to the club, bolstering all three thirds of the field in the process.
All four could therefore make their non-competitive debuts for Revall's men on Saturday, while all of Theo Alexandrou, Harry Anderson, Kane Hemmings and Alex MacDonald have been released - the latter has since followed Evans to Rotherham.
As for Watford, the narrow friendly win over Boreham Wood gave Cleverley the opportunity to field 21 players, and the only man who lasted the full 90 minutes was Antonio Tikvic, an Udinese defender who has been training with the club.
On the same day, the Hornets also announced their statement signing of the summer, welcoming former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko back to the club following the end of his time at Nantes.
Ryan Porteous (Scotland) and Giorgi Chakvetadze (Georgia) are still enjoying their holidays following Euro 2024, while Yaser Asprilla's Colombia beat Uruguay on Wednesday night to reach the Copa America final.
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
Ashby-Hammond; Piergianni, Vancooten, N. Thompson; Smith, Freeman, Phillips, Roberts; Kemp; Appere, Pressley
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Abbott, Hoedt, Pollock; Andrews, Louza, Kayembe, Sema; Ince, Bayo, Baah
We say: Stevenage 0-1 Watford
The fresher legs will unquestionably belong to Stevenage on Saturday, and Cleverley's Watford have not exactly clicked into gear yet in pre-season, although the Hornets boss has of course been chopping and changing significantly in-game.
This friendly may not be a goal-laden classic, but we still expect the Championship outfit to come away with another exhibition success.
No Data Analysis info
Ben Knapton
