Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna believes this afternoon's entertaining 1-1 draw with Fulham at Portman Road shows his team are getting to grips with Premier League football.

Liam Delap's stunning run and strike put the Blues ahead after 15 minutes before Adama Traore side-footed home from an Antonee Robinson cross to level the match just after the half hour.

In a competitive, engaging game that ebbed and flowed, Town had the better chances after the break and left the field to a standing ovation.

With a first point on the board, following defeats to Liverpool and Man City, McKenna said: "I thought it was a good solid performance from us, showing growth and development in the team.

"I thought we were really competitive and probably had the better of it. The margins are pretty tight, but I think we had the better of the second half certainly and looked the more likely team to win it, and that's playing against a well-established Premier League team with great familiarity between their players and the manager.

"We had more of the possession in the second half, more of the territory, we created momentum, we won set plays. We know our execution to create clear cut chances needs to improve at this level. We got to some really good positions that should be resulting in the creation of a good chance that we didn't even manage to get a shot off from.

"But we feel like we had control for most of the second half. Our organisation and structure was really good and we managed to pin the opposition in for some spells. It wasn't to be, but we take the point and the positives from the performance. We'll look to utilise the break now because we know we've got some big, exciting games coming up.

"We know the jump that we've made. We're also integrating six new players into the team today, with two or three making their Premier League debuts for us. So to produce a performance as well-organised and as co-ordinated as that, with good spirit and moments of quality, I think is a positive sign regarding the steps that we're making."

He continued: "At the start of the game today we built on what we did against Liverpool in the first half. Our pressure was really aggressive again.

"I think the players are coming away from these first three games with more belief that we're going in a good direction.

"The jump is massive and they've felt that. We know that to get a win in the Premier League means you have to get a lot of things right on any given day, but I think we feel we're not too far away.

"We were right in the game today, had some really good spells and I think they feel we're coming together as a team."

Delap, a £15m signing from Man City this summer, surged half the length of the pitch before arrowing an unstoppable angled strike to raise the roof at Portman Road.

"It was a great moment wasn't it?" smiled McKenna. "It's his first Premier League goal and the club's first Premier League goal at Portman Road for 22 years - and what a goal it was.

"I enjoyed his all round performance again. He's getting better, he's getting stronger, he's learning and he's still got great growth to come.

"Look at the young players we had on the pitch today. Him at 21 leading the line for a Premier League club, Omari (Hutchinson) beside him at 20 years old, Leif (Davis), Jacob (Greaves)... It's a really, good thing for the football club to have that players that young performing in the Premier League as they are."

Asked if his side's two bold and brave displays against Liverpool and Fulham at Portman Road had shown this was going to be a difficult place for clubs to come in the Premier League, McKenna replied: "I'd like to think so. I know the Liverpool game got away from us in the last 30 minutes, but I think both them and Fulham will have come away from here knowing they've been in a game against a newly-promoted team who have pressed them high and won the ball back off them a lot.

"There are more steps and jumps to make to turn those things into three points, but there are lots of positives."