WATFORD completed their final away pre-season fixture with a 2-2 draw at Paul Mayo's former club, Lincoln City, at a sweltering Sincil Bank this afternoon.

The ex-Red Imps skipper capped his return to his former employers with a 69th-minute penalty which cancelled out a Lincoln opener ten minutes beforehand.

The Hornets, keeping to something of a theme throughout this pre-season, were solid and very well disciplined in a first-half which provided one or two half-chances.

Having played just over an hour in the Reserves on Tuesday evening at Chesham, striker Heidar Helguson returned to the starting line-up and headed wide from Neal Ardley's free-kick delivery with just over 20 minutes gone.

Lloyd Doyley and Paul Devlin linked up to good effect down the right flank moments later, creating a chance for Danny Webber who shot just over the bar.

Ardley's forcing run on the half-hour mark took him past his man but, when well placed, his shot wasn't of sufficient strength to trouble the keeper. It was a similar story for Webber minutes afterwards, a weak shot straight at the goalie when put in a shooting position.

Webber had a chance to make amends shortly after half-time but this time he fired narrowly over the target when put through.

The hosts took a 59th-minute lead before Mayo's goalscoring return to Lincolnshire came after H had been felled as he turned in the area.

City, the infamous former haunt of legendary Watford manager Graham Taylor, restored their advantage with 11 minutes left - and that too came from the penalty spot.

The Golden Boys saved their blushes with a minute of normal time left for play. Hameur Bouazza, introduced for the understandably tiring H, set fellow sub Ashley Young clear down the right flank. The wiry wide man squared low across the area and there was last year's 'Player of the Season' Gavin Mahon to side-foot into the roof of the net at the far post, creating the 2-2 final scoreline.

"I was pleased with the first half," said Ray after the game. "We created some chances without taking any of them but I thought we looked solid again and that's the basis for a decent start to the season.

"Lincoln came on to us a bit after half-time and it was always a competitive game, which is just what we needed one week before the start of the season.

"There were good things and bad things from today. I know there'll be those that think we should be hammering sides like Lincoln but they're a good team for their level. Their coaching staff said to me after the game they were disappointed not have beaten Forest here recently and I think they'll go well this season in League Two."

Ray then spoke of the real down-side to today's action against Keith Alexander's Lincoln: "Lloyd Doyley pulled up sharply with a hamstring strain today. He did it while he was on an overlapping run so it was all the more obvious to everyone.

"Sometimes it's not as bad as you think when you see a hamstring strain but, if it is a problem, then we could be without him for a few weeks."

So with just seven days before the big Championship kick-off, is the boss happy with what he's seen so far?

"There were plenty of positives from today. I'm very happy with the general fitness levels of the players and I can't have any complaints about the way all the players in the squad gone about their pre-season work," Ray said, positive as a tough pre-season nears its end.

"I'm very happy with fitness side of it. We look strong and fit. I'm keeping an open mind in terms of what sort of player we might want to add to the squad. We're happy to start with our current playing staff but we'll reassess after a few games. We've got three games in the first seven days of the season so we will have a good idea where loans might well help us after the initial rush."

Watford: Chamberlain; Doyley (Smith 40), Dyche, Cox, Mayo; Devlin, Gunnarsson, Mahon, Ardley (Young 67); Webber (Fitzgerald 86), Helguson (Bouazza 75). Subs not used: Ferrell, Hitchcock (GK).