MIDDLESBROUGH may have seen the sun set on a disappointing league campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Fulham, but supporters can take comfort in witnessing an exciting new dawn at Craven Cottage yesterday as the Teessiders created Premiership history.

Manager Steve McClaren sent out the youngest ever side to play a Premier League fixture yesterday with seven teenagers in the starting XI, and a further three on the bench.

And, in handing the skipper's armband to Lee Cattermole, McClaren created club history by making the 18-year-old the youngest player to captain Boro.

Cattermole beat substitute Colin Cooper - making his first appearance on the bench this term - to the honour with the defender 21 when he gained the honour 18 years ago.

Remarkably, eight of the 16-man squad weren't even born when 39-year-old Cooper made his Boro debut in 1985.

The defeat in west London, courtesy of Heidar Helguson's 82nd minute penalty means the Cottagers jump above the UEFA Cup finalists to 12th and consigned Boro to a 17th reversal in the league this term.

Boro's 14th place finish in the Premiership may look as if the season has been a disappointment but it does not reveal the bigger picture.

The Teessiders have been involved in a mammoth 63-game campaign, dominated by two lengthy cup runs, culminating in an FA Cup semi-final and, the biggest of all, a UEFA Cup final tie date with Spanish outfit Seville - a successful season by anyone's standards.

With McClaren leaving the club to take over from Sven-Goran Eriksson in August, the next manager will reap the benefit of his legacy and nurture Boro's exciting crop of fledglings to even greater things.

McClaren gave his successor - whoever that may be - a chance to witness what he will inherit, after he steps down from his post following Wednesday's UEFA Cup final, when he chose to give several of his academy graduates another chance to grab some more Premiership experience.

Although they didn't hit the heights of previous outings there was enough evidence, as there has been in recent weeks, to suggest a promising future ahead. The new manager must be salivating at the prospect.

The visitors may have been short on experience yesterday but more than made up for it with dogged determination and resistance and they matched the home side in a game which ebbed and flowed throughout.

The Cottagers created the first real opportunity when Wayne Bridge found the overlapping Liam Rosenior after five minutes. His cross found the head of Collins John perfectly but, fortunately for Boro, the striker headed wide from just five yards.

The visitors hit back within two minutes and Danny Graham was the unfortunate recipient this time. His clipped effort from close range bouncing agonisingly off his own shin and wide after good work from James Morrison.

Adam Johnson then forced Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi to punch his 20-yard free-kick away after 11 minutes, before the youngster followed that up with a shot wide six minutes later, to give an indication that Boro's youngsters weren't just there to make up the numbers.

A collision between Jason Kennedy and Andrew Davies after 18 minutes almost allowed Fulham to take the lead but Matthew Bates, alert to the danger, marshalled John's clip around goalkeeper Ross Turnbull for a goal-kick following Bridge's neat pass.

Steed Malbranque was next to try his luck from 20 yards in the 25th minute but Turnbull was equal to it.

Turnbull was then called upon again five minutes later when he got down comfortably to Brian McBride's header from a central position after Moritz Volz put over an inviting cross from the right.

The Boro goalkeeper then defied inexperience shortly before the break, when he came to his side's rescue after anticipating Papa Bouba Diop's slide rule pass to snuff out the threat of McBride after the visitors' back four failed to hold their line.

Graham thought he had given his side the lead five minutes after the break but it was unluckily ruled out for handball.

The Gateshead-born youngster headed home Malcolm Christie's cross but the ball hit his hand as it bounced over the line. He was booked for his pains.

Graham then spurned another opportunity in the 68th minute when he couldn't connect cleanly in front of goal after Wheater headed into his path from Johnson's free-kick.

The 20-year-old striker must have realised that it wasn't going to be his day when he looked another gift horse in the mouth 15 minutes from time.

Graham fired straight at Niemi from 15 yards with the goal at his mercy after debutante Josh Walker - on for Christie - slid an inviting pass down the inside channel. Boro were made to pay when Helguson slotted home a penalty eight minutes from time.

The Icelandic striker took a superb ball on his chest left of centre of the penalty spot and Wheater, looking for an offiside, bundled him over.

The Teessiders looked for an equaliser shortly after and Johnson nearly provided it but he fired his half-chance over in stoppage time.

Result: Fulham 1, Middlesbrough 0.

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