As first impressions go, Ryan Bennett's Norwich senior debut met with Paul Lambert's full approval.

The former England U21 international justified his manager's faith with an assured Craven Cottage display after having to bide his time since completing a January window move from Peterborough. Bennett's goalscoring appearance in the midweek reserve defeat against Fulham was enough to convince Lambert to fast track the 22-year-old into his starting line up. The cultured centre back was a constant threat on attacking set pieces, alongside his defensive commitments in the aftermath of Fulham's rapier start.

'I thought he was brilliant for his first game. He's only played one reserve game for us but I thought he was absolutely terrific, I really did,' said Lambert. 'I have great belief in him that he will perform and I hope he's going to have a massive future for us. I had no worries about him. It is not an experiment with him.

'He has played in the Championship for a lot of games. He was involved in a promotion so he has played in some big games. People shouldn't forget that.'

Lambert also gave a mention in despatches to Aaron Wilbraham after a landmark Premier League goal teed up Norwich for a late push.

'I'm delighted for him because he's been really patient but he's a top pro,' he said. 'He really is, not just on the pitch but off it. He's a proper lad. When you get these type of people about your club they're vital to you, and Aaron has been pivotal to what has happened here. He played at Leicester with a really bad back injury and he played and scored that night, then we lost him for a bit. So I'm really appreciative of what he does for us.'