It was once customary for Premier League players to be gifted a bottle of champagne as reward for winning man of the match.

Times have moved on since then, with players now receiving a small trophy in recognition for their display.

But Norwegian club Bryne FK – where Manchester City forward Erling Haaland started his career – have come up with a novel approach by awarding eggs to their player of the match.

The club, based in the south-west of Norway close to the city of Stavanger, were promoted back to the top-flight last season for the first time since 2003.

They were beaten 1-0 by Europa League quarter-finalists Bodo/Glimt in their first fixture back in the top division on Sunday.

But they were kept in the match by goalkeeper Jan de Boer, who pulled off a string of fine stops and saved a second-half penalty.

The Dutchman’s reward? Four trays of eggs, of course.

The prize is a nod to the club’s ties with local agriculture, which is dominated by meat and dairy production.

Such is the association with farming, supporters are often heard chanting: “We are farmers and we are proud of it” at matches and there are ‘VIP’ tickets on sale for fans to watch games from a pitchside tractor.

But any Bryne player hoping to get their hands on eggs next week will be disappointed because the club say their player of the match against Kristiansund on 6 April will be given cartons of local milk.