Tim Hoogland’s late goal was promising - but not enough to prevent Fulham losing 2-1 at Ipswich in their first Championship match for 13 years.
A new-look Whites shifted the ball purposefully for 32 minutes, but allowed Daryl Murphy to skip down the right and rifle home past keeper Jesse Joronen, one of eight debutants hoping to get Fulham out of the second tier at the first attempt.
Moussa Dembele nearly cashed in on a rebound after Chris David had tested Dean Gerken, but the Ipswich keeper spread himself to stop the prodded shot.
One of the many new boys Shaun Hutchinson was pick-pocketed on the right on 61 minutes, and the result after a scramble was a goal for sub David McGoldrick, picked out by GetWestLondon as a Tractor Boy to watch.
Fulham finally hit fourth gear in the last 10 minutes when Hoogland clipped a shot from the right and saw the ball wrong-foot Gerken following a big deflection off defender Tommy Smith.
Seventeen-year-old Pat Roberts saw his late close shot blocked and it was disappointment for the hefty contingent making their way back to west London.
