Kyle Lightbourne made his first full appearance for Fulham on loan in their 0-0 home draw against Wycombe on Saturday, linking up well with Canadian striker Paul Peschisolido.

"We struck it off pretty good on Saturday and now I'm just looking forward to the next game,'' said Lightbourne yesterday.

"I thought I did quite well, I'm disappointed I didn't score. I had a couple of chances, one that got deflected by one of my own players and ended up wide and then the goalkeeper made a save in the last five or 10 minutes which was on target. Overall it was a good performance on my behalf.'' The two dropped points by Fulham meant that they slipped down the standings, from fourth to sixth.

"This was one of those games where if we had scored one we could have scored three or four,'' said the Coventry striker.

"But they came to defend and make it hard for us, which they did, and came away with a point.'' This Saturday, Fulham are away to Luton Town before meeting the same team in the Auto Windscreens Cup next Tuesday.

Goal-hungry Lightbourne has reason to be optimistic about facing Luton. "The last goals I scored for Walsall were against Luton last season,'' he recalled.

"I haven't scored any goals since and I'm looking forward to getting back on the scoresheet.'' Lightbourne was encouraged by his level of fitness in the Wycombe match, having not had many opportunities to play this season.

"In the last 10 minutes I was getting a bit of cramp which was expected,'' he explained. "But I'm very pleased with my overall performance. A goal would have capped it off, but hopefully next time.'' Fulham have spent millions of pounds trying to build a team capable of getting promotion to the First Division and eventually the Premiership which is their ultimate goal.

"It is a good environment,'' Lightbourne said of the London club. "They are not as big as Coventry but the potential is there.

"They had a good crowd of about 10,000 on Saturday which was the biggest in the Second Division.'' Lightbourne was made to feel at home by the players and the management team of Kevin Keegan and Ray Wilkins, two former England captains. Now he is looking forward to making a contribution to the team during his month's loan.

"They all treated me quite well, most of the players know me from playing in the lower divisions,'' said the Bermudian.

"They (Keegan and Wilkins) said they were aware of my goal record but they said they hadn't watched me play a lot before so they are really having a look. I hope I have impressed them so far and see how the rest of the loan spell goes.'' Lightbourne's loan period could result in a permanent move to the club, though it hasn't been discussed.

"I am very impressed with how they have the set-up and where they are looking to try to take the club,'' said Lightbourne.

"Whether I'm there or not (after the loan period) I'll be looking to see how they get on and progress. They (Keegan and Wilkins) have done some great things in the game and are known worldwide.

"It's just good to get coaching from them. Keegan has dealt with Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley (at Newcastle) while Wilkins has played at Manchester United and AC Milan and that speaks volumes.'' With Bristol City and Watford running away with the two automatic spots, Fulham may have to see promotion through a play-off place.

"They need to try to consolidate for the play-offs, the front two are miles ahead,'' said Lightbourne.

City and Watford are tied on 58 points but City hold down top spot because they have scored more goals. Their 3-0 win over Wigan on Saturday enabled them to become the first team in the division to score 50 league goals this season, with top scorer Bermudian Shawn Goater netting his 16th of the season with the third goal.

Striker Dion Dublin is staying at Premier League Coventry after turning down a 4 million ($6.6 million) move to Middlesbrough, Coventry manager Gordon Strachan said yesterday.

"It's smashing news for us,'' said Strachan after Dublin told him he would be staying at Highfield Road for the time being.

"He feels he can progress more with Coventry and hopefully we can put the issue to sleep for a while. But obviously he still has the option of moving on if the right move comes along at the right price.''