Watford head coach Quique Sanchez Flores says he was happy to sacrifice victory against AFC Wimbledon in order to test the adaptability of his Hornets squad.

The Golden Boys lined up against the Dons this afternoon with four strikers in their starting XI and Ikechi Anya was, for the second time during pre-season, deployed in the unfamiliar role of full-back.

The 4-2-3-1 system led to a disjointed Watford performance. Matej Vydra looked uncomfortable on the wing while Odion Ighalo was largely ineffective behind Troy Deeney.

Watford fell behind in the contest in the 12th minute after Anya brought down Tom Elliott in the area and Callum Kennedy dispatched the spot kick.

The Hornets were level by half time, however. A poor back pass rushed Dons goalkeeper Joe McDonnell into a clearance which he fired straight against Ighalo. The ball struck the Nigerian and ended looping into the net.

After the break Fernando Forestieri bundled the ball home from close range but Wimbledon won a second penalty in second half stoppage time after Juan Carlos Paredes’ poorly timed challenge on Andy Barcham. George Francomb converted to ensure the Football Manager Cup would be shared.

The result means little in the grand scheme of Watford’s season, something Flores understandably stressed when he spoke to the media after the game.

“Pre-season is for testing,” the Spaniard said. “Today we played four strikers and it is important to know how the players react in different situations.

“If you don’t bother doing that [in pre-season] then you test nothing. So it was important we sacrificed the result to test an idea.”

The Hornets boss continued: “I didn’t like our play much during the match, we lost a lot of energy in the first half without coming up with solutions [to problems].

“We made unintelligent mistakes with the two penalties but it is pre-season. We can’t expect the players to perform at their best.

“We use these games to work out the qualities of the players and what position they can play. The result is not important. What is important is how the players respond.”

Midfielder Valon Behrami watched on from the stands and his move to Vicarage Road was confirmed after the friendly.

Flores was asked what he thought the Swiss international could add to a Hornets midfielder which is set to grow further with the signing of Benjamin Stambouli.

He replied: “Behrami came to Watford in the last few days. I spoke with him and explained what our style is and what we are working towards.

“I want him to adapt as soon as possible to what the club wants. He is a good experienced player and he gives us different options in the middle.”

Watford’s squad fly out to Germany on Monday morning for a week-long pre-season training camp.

The Hornets play three games during their six day stay and Flores believes it will be an important trip for his squad.

He explained. “The most important thing is we progress every day. In Germany we will play a lot of matches and will have a few training sessions.

“We need to build confidence in the players and avoid making mistakes like we made today; we lost concentration today and conceded two penalties which is not good for us.

“I am not worried though, it is normal. I have gone through enough pre-seasons to know this is normal.”

He added: “We have to go step by step and get to know each other. The players are trying to achieve the tasks [during matches] that we set up in training every day.

“They are trying to mix different styles of play so there will be mistakes. We need time and there will be an evolution during pre-season.

“We have four important weeks to go and we have to play six matches more. I want to transmit to the Watford fans that I am not worried.

“I am happy and the players are working very hard. We will be ready for the first game and ready to do something good.”