Fulham will need to become nastier if they are to put their poor Championship start behind them, according to skipper Scott Parker.

Felix Magath’s side followed an opening day defeat at Ipswich with a home reverse to Millwall yesterday afternoon and an inexperienced team paid for a little bit of naivety. Parker, very much a veteran in a Fulham side that included nine players under the age of 21, knows his team-mates need to adapt quickly to life in the second tier if they are to retain hopes of promotion.

I think technically we are a very good side with some good players but that’s two games and two losses now, which is not what you need. A lot of these players have never played men’s football. Some of the boys have come from playing in the Under 18s last season to playing in the Championship. This is a massive step up and you have to give them time.

The boys will learn and realise what they need to do. They are very talented players and I’m sure they will get to grips with it and understand there’s another side to the game. We need to try and win ugly because I think we play nice football but we don’t seem to have that killer instinct.

The most important thing is winning games and we need to realise it’s going to be hard and at times a battle. We lacked a bit of that competitive side and they were the first to things. The quicker we get up and running the better. It’s still early days so we need to stay positive. I’m sure we will be alright.

The Whites’ first chance to bounce back comes against Wolves on Wednesday night at Craven Cottage.