Tony Mowbray felt, for the second week running, that Rovers weren’t clinical enough in the final third as they slipped to successive defeats - but believes his forwards will fire moving forward.

Rovers had the better of things in the first half but trailed at the break to a Tom Cairney strike.

Mowbray’s side managed nine shots at goal, but failed to work goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, despite good opportunities for Sam Gallagher and Bradley Johnson.

“There wasn’t much in the game,” Mowbray said of the Craven Cottage reverse.

“The frustration is that we weren’t clinical enough taking our chances in the final third.

“The statistics will show that we didn’t work their goalkeeper enough but we had the opportunities to, and to score goals.

“It didn’t happen and ultimately we got punished.

“Cairney, we know his left foot can be magical at times. He put one in the top corner and I’m not sure there was much we could have done about it to be honest.

“Second half was frustrating because the game was very scrappy, not much in it, whereas first half I thought we were the dominant team and probably deserved to come in ahead but instead found ourselves 1-0 down.

“People who haven’t watched the game will probably think pretty academic 2-0 home win, but that was never the case. It was a game we could easily have won.

“It’s done, we have to keep our standards high and I’m sure the results will come.”

Mowbray was happy with the approach from his side who restricted Fulham’s opportunities in the first half, with the home crowd frustrated by the hosts being unable to break through until Cairney’s excellent strike.

“I’m sure the first half it worked. It was a dominant performance,” the Rovers boss added.

“Cairney, in isolation, puts one in the top corner but I don’t remember too many other attempts at our goal.

“This is against a team who most people have tipped for automatic promotion.”

Despite having just one own goal to show for their efforts in the opening two games, Mowbray has faith that his forward players will be able to find the net with regularity moving forward.

He added: “It’s a frustration, as it was last weekend, but we have plenty of firepower in our team and I’m sure we’ll score plenty of goals this season.

“I was right behind two headers from Gallagher that drifted just wide, rather than just inside the post. Armstrong was a constant thorn in their side in the first half, got in to some great positions.

“But it wasn’t to be. We have to punish teams more than we did.”