Fulham come from behind to stun Albion's men's under-21s

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Albion were 2-0 up, but were beaten 4-3 in the end.

2026-03-06T21:20+00:00

Noel Atom put Albion in front after seven minutes. 📸 by James Boardman.

Our men’s under-21s were on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller against Fulham at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre on Friday night.

Despite taking a 2-0 lead inside the opening half hour, it was the Cottagers who fought back to take all three points and end the Seagulls’ three-game unbeaten league run.

A highly entertaining game was just seven minutes old when Albion broke the deadlock – Noel Atom bundling home at the far post following a deep corner from Josh Robertson, who was making his first start since October.

Fulham, sitting in fourth place in the table before the start of play, enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening stages but it was Albion who created the game’s next chance when a lung-busting run and cross from Nehemiah Oriola was cut out with Joe Belmont set to pounce.

The resulting Robertson corner was identical to his first and almost resulted in another goal. This time it was skipper Freddie Simmonds who connected at the far post, only to see his volley come back off the crossbar.

The dangerous Oriola then saw a close-range shot hit the side-netting as the Seagulls found their stride and it was no surprise to see the livewire winger play a part in Albion’s second.

With 26 minutes on the clock he again showed his pace down the left flank before cutting inside to fire an effort goalwards. Fulham keeper Alfie McNally managed to keep the ball out but Belmont was on hand to slot home the rebound.

Joe Belmont has now scored in three consecutive Premier League 2 games. 📸 by James Boardman.

Fulham gained a foothold back in the game six minutes later when defender Eddy Nsasi broke up an Albion move before surging forward with the ball. Under pressure, he teed up Jayden Quashie on the edge of the box and the Fulham Scholar of the Year fired low past Seagulls keeper Steven Hall.

Albion went close to restoring their two-goal advantage shortly after the break when Sean Keogh and Belmont combined to tee up Shane Nti, but the midfielder’s low drive fell the wrong side of the post.

The game then took another turn in the visitors’ favour on 56 minutes when forward Farhaan Ali-Wahid received a ball on the edge of the box. He was afforded enough time to take a couple of touches before curling a superb effort past Hall’s despairing dive.

Albion responded immediately, with Aidan West narrowly failing to connect with Oriola’s cross, but it was the visitors who took the lead on 67 minutes when Oliver Gofford stabbed home Seth Chingwaro’s deflected ball into the box from close range.

Josh Robertson recently signed a new two-and-a-half year deal. 📸 by James Boardman.

With 12 minutes remaining, Fulham seemingly put the game out of Albion’s reach when a long punt forward from McNally fell to Jonah Kusi-Asare. The Bayern Munich loanee then showed a touch of class with a superb low strike past Hall from 20 yards.

To their credit, Albion continued to push forward and netted a third with five minutes remaining through Tyler Silsby – who opened his Premier League 2 account having been teed up by Nti.

The 17-year-old also flashed an effort wide in injury time, but Fulham saw the game out to take the points back up to west London.

Shannon Ruth’s side now have a ten-day break from league action prior to the long trip to Lancashire to face bottom-of-the-table Burnley.