By Ethan Georgiou

Fulham Under-23s suffered a 2-0 defeat against a tough Brighton and Hove Albion side in their second pre-season friendly.

Jay Stansfield tested the Brighton goalkeeper early on, with his stinging right-footed shot forcing a save.

The young Whites started the game well but fell behind on 12 minutes. The Brighton number 11 made a strong run down the left-hand side before cutting in and curling a shot into the far corner. Taye Ashby-Hammond was left with no chance.

The hosts doubled their lead 25 minutes in when a powerful cross was steered in at the back-post.

Ashby-Hammond made a flying save just minutes later to push the ball wide and keep the score at 2-0.

Jayden Harris came close to bringing the game back to life in the 60th minute from a corner. Sonny Hilton fizzed a low cross towards Ben Davis, who set up Harris for the long shot. His effort whizzed just wide of the right post.

Davis was involved again just a few minutes later as the side tried to push for a way back into the game. After picking up the ball, he managed to evade multiple tackles and fire a powerful strike towards goal, which the ‘keeper was equal to.

Despite the players’ best efforts, the score remained 2-0 as the final whistle blew.

Fulham Starting Lineup:

T Ashby-Hammond, Z Larkeche, J Aina, C McAvoy, E Ameyaw, R De Havilland, B Davis, J Harris, S Hilton, JP Tiehi, J Stansfield

Subs:

D Las, L Murphy, L Duru, A Pajaziti, M Taylor-Crossdale