GNP Under 8 Lions had their first outing in 7 weeks, so were very excited to be playing again and were up against Coventry Warriors GGNP away, in a game which is a bit of a local derby - so club pride was at stake! The boys started off well and took an early lead with Athrv continuing his fine goal scoring form this season and firing in the opener. A few slack moments in defence and GNP soon found themselves down. They continued to play good football and Aaron grabbed an equaliser and we went in to the break all square at 2-2. In the 2nd half GNP came out with a point to prove and some great team play and individual brilliance led to a clear 3 goal lead, with goals from Ryan, Sehaj and Athrv again. A missed GNP penalty would have put the game to bed and the unthinkable nearly happened - in the closing moments, GNP conceded two soft goals, with defensive errors and full credit goes to GGNP for getting back into the game. GNP managed to hold on and special mentions go to joint players of the match, goalkeeper Rajan and Ryan with some electric dribbling from midfield. All in all, a much improved performance and if this fledgling team (pictured) continue to train hard and progress, the football being played will continue to improve.

With no league fixture in 2022 as yet, the Under 7 Lions (pictured) faced Copsewood Panthers in another friendly. The Lions went behind to an early goal which seemed to spark them into action and react in the best possible way by displaying some great teamwork resulting in an equaliser. The Lions managed to get themselves in great positions and should have bagged a hatful of goals but the final decision making from the lads proved to be the difference in scoring more. The game itself was pretty even in terms of chances but the Lions displayed grit, determination and began playing some great football late in the 2nd half which deservedly gave them the edge in the final scoreline. Special mention to Harman who walked away with the Parents Man of the Match award for another solid and versatile performance.

Under 7 Tigers played away against Hawkesmill Juniors. The home team started the better side but the 1st half finished even after two goals from Harsahib and one from Akash. The 2nd half was a different story as our Tigers unfortunately started to tire and struggled to have decent attempts on goal. Anokh, Sohan and Harsahib however should be recognised for stand out performances.

The Under 8 Panthers girls game was defensive in nature with formidable attacks continuously raining down on the GNP goal. There were however some equally impressive saves from Rehat, Divjot, Tino and Jodh.

Saturday also saw the first ever training session for a brand new group of Under 10 girls, formed from our Wildcats sessions which were launched last Spring. The plan is to prepare this group over the coming months to be registered in the Central Warwickshire Girls League as GNP's 2nd ever all-female team - exciting times ahead!

SUNDAY

Our Under 16s played a late kick off away at Bedworth Eagles, pulling off a fantastic 2-1 win over a team who beat them heavily just a week ago. Outstanding performance from the whole team, dominating the opponents, goals from Amaan & Arian, and only conceding through a deflection in the last 5 mins.

The Under 13s were in a top of the table clash against 2nd placed Coundon Court girls with the opportunity to go 11 points clear in Div D. After a great training week, the boys took everything on board and blitzed Coundon from the kick off. Riley’s 10th of the season came within a minute, followed by a quick double from Archie which put the GNP 3-0 up after only 7 minutes. Another two before half time for the prolific Archie resulted in a dominant 5-0 lead. Second half, another two goals were added by Jacob. What a performance from high flying GNP and what a statement to the rest of the league. Coach Parmy is justifiably so proud of the boys - so far so good for their Div D title campaign!

Under 11 Tigers vs Stratford Town Colts (away). Another week of great football and the boys battling hard against a very good side. The game was end to end with both teams creating chances but Stratford ultimately got the better of GNP with 3 goals. The boys did manage to get one back with a strong effort by Anesu and MotM Jeevan had an amazing game - well done team!

GNP Under 11 Lions hosted Coventrians Jaguar Youth at Memorial park. The opening half saw some great saves from Himmat Singh from a one-on-one and also a goal line clearance from a shot which was goalbound. However it wasnt enough to deny Cov Jag a clear lead in the first half. The Lions 2nd half performance was a lot stronger, managing to claw 2 goals back, one from Gabriel Prendi and a fantastic free kick from Nathan Henry which flew in to the top corner. The Lions pressed well and had further goal scoring opportunities from Ajay Dhesi and Harman Sangha. However despite a spirited 2nd half showing, GNP then conceded 2 further goals in the 2nd half, in spite of Himmat continuing to make some outstanding saves.

GNP Under 10 Lions secured their passage into the knockout stages of the Winter Trophy Event after overcoming Lillington Dynamos in their final group stage game. The Lions dominated the 1st half, but were wasteful in front of goal and would have been frustrated going in level at half time.Lillington started the 2nd half brightly and almost grabbed a shock lead but a spectacular goal line clearance from Harman saved the Lions from going behind. This seemed to spark the Lions into life and Ayomide ran onto a delightful long through ball from Harman, and made no mistake to put the Lions ahead. With their tails up the Lions scored two more to put the game to bed. A quickly taken corner found Rajan on the edge of the box who majestically curled to ball into the top corner giving the keeper no chance. Kyan added another from close range capping off another impressive win for GNP.

The Under 10 Tigers hosted fellow Gosford Division opposition, St Finbarr's, in friendly action at War Memorial Pk. Without top scorer, Saavun, available, several players were given an opportunity to impress. It was a highly competitive affair with Finbarrs' edging the clearer chances. However they found the GNP defence tough to break down, led by the determined Iklil, and superbly backed up by some brave keeping from Prabhvir. GNP looked threatening from set pieces with Arjun firing in some delicious corners, and Elio a constant threat down the right, but a goal proved to be elusive. The game ended goalless on a day when the Tigers learned that they have also topped their Trophy Event group, and earned a semi final tie next Sunday!

The Under 9 Lions were hit for six in the final Trophy Event fixture against Bedworth Utd after 4 pts from the opening 2 games. A bad day at the office and the first loss in 5 games. But as the saying goes, setbacks make for great comeback