Nathaniel Chalobah was delighted to make his Fulham debut tonight – but insisted helping the Whites get back to winning ways at Birmingham was most important.

The England international, who joined from Watford on a free transfer at the end of the summer transfer window, slotted in seamlessly alongside Jean Michael Seri and Harrison Reed in a rejigged central midfield and put in a composed display as Marco Silva’s side bounced back from the weekend disappointment at Blackpool. Chalobah told FFCTV:

“It wasn’t bad. I’m just buzzing we got the win, especially after the last game. It’s good to put things right and get the result today. I felt okay. It’s probably my first game in a long time. I’ve got a good group of boys around me who have helped me settle in quite quickly. The performance we did out there today was pretty impressive because Birmingham aren’t an easy side.”

Chalobah was modest about his role in Fulham’s crucial third goal – when his glorious through ball released Harry Wilson to put the game beyond Lee Bowyer’s men.

“I try to go forward as much as I can. It depends on the point in the game at times – the game was quite open with the runs we were making and they were going man-to-man, so the space was always going to be in behind. I’ve seen clips of Harry before and I know he likes making that run inside. The moment Reidy had it, I already saw the image in my head and I was screaming at him just to give me the ball so I could play him and luckily he gave it to me at the right time.

The central midfielder insisted Fulham’s strength in depth in the engine room will be a huge asset going forward and ensures that nobody can afford to rest on their laurels.

“It’s always important to have competition because people will always relax and think they are going to play. The competition is there, but we also stick together and driving each other every week so we can go out there and give performances like that. The best example of that was Alfie Mawson coming on and making a last ditch header right at the end. We’ve got to be together and, at the minute, we’re showing that.”