Norwich City Under-23s felt they'd let themselves down when falling to a 2-0 defeat to Fulham in King's Lynn on Friday night, slipping to seventh in the Division Two table.

A strong start to the season was followed by a 5-2 defeat to West Brom at the Walks last Monday and the young Cottagers moved top of the second tier of Premier League Two with their win.

Tom Dickson-Peters had gone close when he hit the post in the first half but a Josh Giurgi own goal in the 73rd minute was followed by the visitors adding a second in the 90th minute.

"I think it was a very even game," U23s coach Alan Neilson told City's website. "I said in the dressing room afterwards that we should have been coming off with it at 0-0.

"I just don’t think we battled and scrapped enough really. We started off well again. We hit the post, which I thought was in from TDP (Tom Dickson-Peters) but it wasn’t and then there were not too many really clear-cut chances for either side in the first half.

"Second half we came out and it was very even, but they pushed us back. We said at half-time we have just got to concentrate and if it finishes 0-0, it finishes 0-0 but we went a bit back to front. We didn’t dominate the ball.

"We say as a team if we get the ball, and we need a rest, then we rest with the ball, but as the game went on they pressed us and we didn’t really keep the ball and in the very key moments the final pass wasn’t good enough."

Next up is a game at Reading in the Premier League Cup group stages on Monday, October 11, a 1pm kick-off at the Championship club's Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Dickson-Peters added: "If you had seen how we moved the ball in previous games then you know we are much better than that.

"I think the first half the game was pretty tight. I think second half they (Fulham) edged it with a set-piece and I think they deserved the win.

"Hopefully we can learn from that during the international break and work hard and come back ready for Reading away."

City U23s (4-3-1-2): Berry; Giurgi, Tomkinson (C), Warner, Earley (Shipley 46); Clarke (Hutchinson 89), Khumbeni (Brooke 67), Springett; Kamara; Rowe, Dickson-Peters. Unused sub: Rose (GK)