FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED IN LEWES’ FIRST EUROPEAN VICTORY

Lewes made history last night as they beat Norwegian side FC Oslo 1-0 in the Fenix Trophy, a European competition for semi-pro teams across Europe. Here's five things we learned:

Lewes' "Third" Centre Back

We've seen it plenty of times in recent years at the top level of football, goalkeepers push higher when their team is in possession to become a "third centre back" in order to create numerical advantages when you have the ball. The trend has made it's way down to the Dripping Pan, Nathan Harvey consistently made himself an option when his side had the ball, making is almost impossible for Oslo to regain possession.

Big Threat On The Flanks

All the action last night took place in the wide areas, including the winning goal from Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala. Harvey Hughes and Ayo Olukoga perfected the overlapping full back role, creating very effective overloads on the wing. Pair this with the speed of wingers Lumbombo-Kalala and Deon Moore, Lewes were able to find a lot of success when heading towards the byline. The goal is a great example, Moore received the ball and burst past his player before finding Lumbombo-Kalala at the back post who headed home.

Untouchable Deon Moore

Wow! What a player Dean Moore is, he was everywhere last night. Whether it was knocking the ball round his marker and chasing it or linking up with Olukoga, Moore always had the making of the Oslo defence. He claimed the deserved assist for Lumbombo-Kalala's goal and had a few opportunities to get on the scoresheet himself.

Oslo's Inconsistent Press

Ultimately this cost Oslo the game last night, whether it was some players pressing whilst others didn't, or no-one doing it at all, the Norweign side suffered due to a lack of consistency when attempting to win the ball back. On occasion the whole team would squeeze Lewes and it was an effective method of regaining possession, however throughout the entire 90 minutes, there were times when the front line would go but the midfield didn't follow, or they sat off all together. This allowed Lewes captain Will Salmon in particular so much time on the ball, and on numerous occasions he'd drive through all three thirds of the pitch uncontested, play a ball through to the attackers who had an attempt on goal.

The Fans Were Incredible

1109 was the official match attendance, but with the noise around the Dripping Pan it felt like there was double that. The fans sung all night long, pushed their side when they tired and even had a bit of fun with the Oslo goalkeeper. Lewes were the dominant side despite the narrow scoreline, but you can't underestimate the power of the 12th man who helped the Rooks see out the victory.

Next up in the Fenix Trophy, Lewes take on KSK Beveren in Belgium on December 12th. They also beat FC Oslo 1-0, setting the final game up to be a classic.

Written by Isabelle Newnham