Stevenage have announced their second pre-season friendly for July - hosting Watford at the Lamex.

The two Hertfordshire sides had been set for a pre-season date last year but that was cancelled after the draw for the Carabao Cup first round pushed the two together in a competitive fixture.

Boro went on to win that on penalties, after a 1-1 draw, but the desire to match up against each other in a warm-up has remained.

They will meet on July 13 in a 3pm kick-off, one week before Stevenage's only other announced game so far, away to Jersey Bulls.

The remaining friendlies will announced "at a later date" but the game with the Hornets is likely to be the first of any pre-season games at the Lamex, and therefore the first to be played on its newest surface.

Boro have completed "a full pitch refurbishment" which is now ready for the addition of "six-ply yarn" to be stitched into the playing surface.

It will create a hybrid pitch, part grass and part fibre, which the club believe will play better, drain better and enable more games per season than the traditional 100 per cent grass pitch.

Chairman Phil Wallace said: "Upgrading any grass pitch is always a bit hit and miss so reinforcing with a small percentage of artificial grass to create a hybrid pitch is an obvious step to take to improve play and extend pitch life.

"New secondary drainage has been added this year too, and we expect to start work stitching the pitch around mid-June."