Highlights of this weekend were a tremendous away performance from the Under 14 Panthers to keep alive their promotion hopes in Division 2 and a clinical demolition job by the Under 12 Pumas who hit double figures in their home league game. These 3 points were more critical than most, with the league leaders losing elsewhere, and allowing the Pumas to leapfrog into 1st place with just one game remaining in the league title race!
This means we now have three of our boys teams just one win away from becoming champions in their respective leagues! As well as the Under 12 Pumas, our Under 13 Tigers and Under 14 Tigers will hope to wrap things up in glorious fashion next weekend. We wish all three teams the best of luck for next week!

SATURDAY – GIRLS

Under 14 Panthers went away to 3rd placed CCCs and put in a polished all round team performance to come away with a fine 3-1 victory. The performance was epitomised by the girls hunger to recover the ball throughout the game and some well taken goals by Mankirat (2) and Jah’Dae. A special mention also to debutant Maddie who settled in to the team brilliantly! This win rekindles hopes of a late promotion push for the team – lots of games still left to fit in!

GNP Panthers Under 12s hosted 2nd placed Leamington Lions on Saturday morning. The battling Panthers again short-staffed on the pitch with the luxury of one substitute this week. But for the third game running they hit the ground running to make a fight of it like they always do. Battling for every ball, Panthers were on top and looking the team most likely and it was they who broke the deadlock 15 minutes in when the hard-working Sheena broke from midfield, beating two players and slotting home precisely past the keeper from 6 yards to shock the high flying Lions. The lead was short-lived though and 2 minutes later Leamington equalised with a well worked goal. 1-1 at the break. 2nd period began sadly with the Panthers sleeping early on, going 2-1 then 3-1 down. Then back they came to lay siege on Leamington for the rest of the game. Maya coming close from range. Faith dangerous for much of the 2nd half attacking her defenders and sending in quality deliveries from the right. GNP pulled one back with five to play when another of Faith’s crosses deflected in for 2-3. But in the end Leamington Lions held out for a 2-3 win. This league is a league of very fine margins and the Panthers ran the high flying Leamington Lions so agonisingly close!

SATURDAY – BOYS

The Under 9 Jaguars welcomed Warwick Knights to Finham after a two‑week break and came out with a really strong performance against a well‑established Warwick side. The game started at a rapid pace and the boys were straight at it — pressing high, winning the ball and creating plenty of shots. For most of the first half we had the possession and looked the more dangerous team, with Leo driving us forward brilliantly down the left. Warwick took their chances when they came, and despite all our pressure the goals just didn’t fall for us, ending in Warwick coming out victorious. Across the pitch the boys put in a shift: Freddie made some great saves and talked well to his defence, Bobby picked out clever forward passes, Seva stuck tight to his man and defended strongly, and Anwar covered every blade of grass. Emaad battled against a tough defender, Theo kept finding pockets and getting shots away, Varun offered width before dropping in to help at the back, and Stan made some excellent tackles while sticking to his instructions. PotM went to Leo for his passing, width of play and relentless work-rate. A really good team display — loads to be proud of and plenty to build on for next week’s return fixture.

Under 10 Pumas played away against Sky Blues in a closely contested match from start to finish. The Pumas showed some great passing throughout the game, moving the ball confidently and creating several good chances. Despite their strong start, the opposition opened the scoring. The Pumas responded well, getting a number of shots on target, but the Sky Blues keeper made some important saves to prevent the equaliser. The 2nd half followed a similar pattern, with the Pumas continuing to press and push forward, but they just couldn’t find the back of the net. Jaiden, our Player of the Match, put in challenge after challenge on the wing and did a fantastic job driving the ball forward and supporting the attack. Unfortunately, the opposition managed to score again on the counter, despite the Pumas creating plenty of opportunities. The boys kept battling right until the final whistle and were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet today.

Under 10 Jaguars

SUNDAY – BOYS

GNP Under 12 Pumas faced Khalsa in their penultimate league fixture, looking to keep the pressure up at the top of the table. The Pumas were unstoppable in a thrilling home game that left the Khalsa team in their wake! The hosts stormed into an early lead, with Lekan scoring a blazing opener that set the tone for the match. Faris was the hero of the hour, smashing in a second goal into the top corner before completing a hat-trick with a superb free kick and a devastating finish from a Lekan pass. Ziyyad joined the party with a sweet strike, and Lekan continued to shine with a second goal, beating the defence and keeper with ease. The Pumas were on fire, playing fluid football that left Khalsa reeling. Mason added a seventh with a cracking shot, and Lekan sealed his hat-trick with two more goals, showcasing his silky skills and vision. The 2nd half saw the Pumas continue to press, creating chance after chance, but the Khalsa keeper was in top form, making spectacular saves to keep the score from getting even bigger. Kian eventually added a tenth with a well-taken goal, and Khalsa snatched a consolation late on. The final score was 10-1 to Pumas. This emphatic win ended up putting GNP top of the league after a surprise slip-up from long time leaders, Meriden Lions. With just 1 game remaining the team look well set to be crowned champions! One more win next week will secure the title!

Under 14 Pumas made the short journey to league leaders Coventry Alvis and put in a competitive performance. Sadly it wasn’t enough this time with Alvis prevailing in a 4-1 victory. The boys need to focus on a big game next week with close rivals Nuneaton Borough Whites.

Under 12 Lions were at home to Rugby Borough Juniors. It was a close game from the off, in windy conditions. A number of chances were created by both teams but it was Rugby Borough who found a long range effort to go into half time one goal up. In the 2nd half, GNP stepped up to the challenge and created a number of good chances, but it was Rugby who went two goals up. Despite being two goals down, GNP did not give up and were rewarded a goal, with a long range effort by Jack. GNP created a number of clear cut chances in the final 15 minutes, but could not find the equaliser. A spirited display. Player of the match went to Alfie, stepped up to play in goals, with our regular keeper missing and had a solid game in between the sticks.

Under 12 Tigers made a cracking start against Lillington Dynamos and took a deserved 1-0 lead into half time. Unfortunately the boys ran out of steam in the 2nd half with no subs, and things didn’t click like they did in the 1st half. Unfortunately Lillington equalised and capitalised on some lapses in concentration to turn the game around with several more goals.

Under 12 Jaguars

Under 10 Tigers

Under 9 Pumas were at home to Chapelfield Colts Crusaders. Right from kick off, we pressed the opposition and our front three pushed them back. Early in the first half, Hugh was fouled in the box and put away the resulting penalty. After some intricate passing with Srihan and Rehaan, Hugh went on to score two more (one with each foot) for his hat trick, after taking on the opposition defence in both instances. At the other end, Aarush was immense in goal, making some crucial saves. In the 2nd half, the opposition started to press higher up the pitch, and we conceded a goal due to a defensive mix-up which put us on the back foot. However, we kept pressing and our centre-back Arjan found himself in some space in their half and unleashed a shot which found its way into the bottom corner, making it his first ever goal for the team! A hard-fought victory, and no less than the boys deserved for their strong efforts.

Under 9 Lions hosted Meriden Lions at Finham. From the offset the boys were on the back foot, with an onslaught of attempts from the Meriden team. Balraj did his best to fend off many opportunities in between the sticks; however the opposition were able to take advantage and scored a few goals. The 2nd half was very much a one-sided game as the boys struggled to get t he ball out of their half. Better luck next time