A noticeable drop in temperatures gave this weekend a real autumnal feel but perfect weather for football as most of our teams were in action again. Saturday headlines this week for our Under 13 Panthers who struck double figures in a big away victory and our Under 15 Panthers who showed tremendous spirit to edge out Stratford in a tight home game, as well as our Under 8 Pumas who continued their fantastic unbeaten start to the season! On Sunday, the Under 13 Jaguars battled out a big away draw to reach top of their table. Whilst the Under 10 Lions maintained another perfect start to the season with a tight win at Mount Nod. The Under 18s edged a penalty shoot out to progress to the next round of the Challenge Cup!

SATURDAY – GIRLS

GNP Under 13 Panthers Roar to Away Victory! GNP Panthers faced a tough, physical Leamington Lions side away from home, but the girls rose to the challenge brilliantly! The defence worked tirelessly to keep the opposition at bay, while Avneet opened the scoring after just 10 minutes. Maya netted a first-half hat-trick, with Avneet adding another, while Ari created fantastic chances with her crosses and Divjot impressed with some great skills. Leamington scored from a penalty just before half-time, with Tino narrowly missing the save. The Panthers continued their fantastic form in the second half, with Maya scoring twice more, Avneet adding another three and Avani celebrating her first goal of the season! It was a brilliant team performance, with all the girls showing skill, confidence and determination, alongside the opportunity to try out new positions. Final score: Leamington Lions 1–11 GNP U13 Panthers. A superb away win — well done, girls! Two wins on the bounce… could the Panthers be on a roll?

Under 15 Panthers hosted Stratford Town. Evenly matched to begin with, it was the Panthers who looked most likely to break the deadlock with some sharp runs down the wings and crosses into the central area. The effort that got the Panthers the lead was a great run by Lizzy who ran from the halfway line down with a decisive pass by Ekham. Lizzy then cut in from the right wing and slotted home into Stratfords goal. Half time came and the Panthers had a slim lead. Stratford came out strong and duly equalised shortly after the restart. Panthers, undeterred, pressed forward and flooded the opposition half at every opportunity. Nimrut who has shown continuous improvement bagged a fab goal which was all led by her fantastic reaction time. A brilliant team performance with no subs by the Panthers to win 2-1 which moved them into 4th position in the table!

GNP Under 16 Panthers lost their unbeaten run today in a very tight 6-4 defeat to Inkberrow. The game started with a minute’s silence, paying respects to John Halford the Coventry Sphinx under 16 girls coach who sadly passed away this week . Our thoughts go out to all his family. A very tight end to end game that could have finished 10-10. Goals from Harri, Mekenna, Kia and Lara left the girls coming up just short but the performance and effort could not be faulted.

The Under 10 Warriors travelled to Sutton United hoping to build on their momentum following back-to-back wins. The girls started brightly, showing some good passing and teamwork, but despite their efforts, went into half-time trailing. The 2nd half proved challenging at times, but the Warriors showed great determination and fighting spirit, pulling a goal back to put themselves back in contention. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough, and the game ended in defeat. However, there were some encouraging individual performances and plenty of positives to take into the next match.

The Under 9 Panthers went away to Leamington Lions for a cold, early start. A well worked goal from Leena to open the scoring was the only cause for celebration in the first half against a well organised opposition. The Panthers struggled to get a foothold in the game and a late consolation goal from Georgia was not enough to get back in the game. The Panthers unbeaten run sadly comes to an end.

SATURDAY – BOYS

GNP Under 12 Lions secured another important three points with a 4–3 victory away from home against Alvis in a game that became a little too close for comfort towards the end! The Lions started positively, with Jamie slotting home two beautifully taken goals midway through the first half to give his side a deserved advantage. In the 2nd half, new signing Jacob won a penalty and confidently stepped up to convert it, extending the Lions' lead. Then came the moment of the match! Jude spotted the opposition goalkeeper off his line from just beyond the halfway line and had the confidence and audacity to unleash an incredible long-range effort that sailed over the keeper and into the net. An absolute wonder goal to put the Lions 4–0 ahead! However, the opposition weren't finished and mounted a late comeback, scoring three goals as the Lions struggled to maintain their shape and intensity. Despite a nervy finish, the Lions held firm to secure another valuable victory. Player of the Match: Jamie – 2 excellent goals and a well-deserved award, with a special mention to Jude for his sensational strike.

GNP Under 9 Lions vs Warwick Town. On a chilly morning, the Lions made a brilliant start, linking passes, finding space and creating plenty of chances. Gurshaan scored a hatful of goals, Abdul finished from a great cross, and Thomas added a superb finish. The goal of the game came from a fantastic kick-in routine, with Jagraj finding Theo N, who smashed home a thunderous half-volley! Warwick Town fought back strongly in the 2nd half, capitalising on power plays, but the Lions showed great determination to secure a well-deserved result. Lenny the Lion awarded to Abdul for a brave final quarter, charging down opponents, blocking shots and putting his body on the line for the team. Player of the Match – Thomas for an outstanding all-round performance across goalkeeper, defence and the wing, showing excellent communication, teamwork and versatility. Every Lion contributed, with Theo P growing in confidence, Sahib solid at the back, Evan reliable in goal, Shaan improving game by game while covering his teammates and tracking back to support the team, Jagraaj creating chances, Theo N finishing brilliantly, Gurshaan leading the attack and Abdul showing tremendous energy. The boys continue to take on information, show bravery by playing in different positions and, most importantly, enjoy playing together! Well done Lions

The unbeaten league run continues for the Under 8 Pumas following a victory at home against Leamington Foundation. The Pumas came flying out of the blocks, with early goals from Narayan and Mehnga. Narayan continued his goalscoring run with a second goal, while Roshan added another as the Pumas were pegged back and the scores levelled. Building from the back, the Pumas strung together some great passes, culminating in an outrageous volley from Roman — a contender for goal of the season! Jora rounded off the scoring to secure the win. Player of the Match went to Mehnga for his tenacity and hard work, both on and off the ball. The progress continues and the team spirit grows stronger every week!

Just one week after capturing the CWYL Autumn Trophy on the very same pitch, the Under 8 Tigers returned to Copsewood Tigers for a fierce, fast-paced rematch. The hosts took an early lead and doubled it via a controversial penalty. The Tigers fought back instantly when Cameron scored with a brilliant strike, keeping them right in the contest. The 2nd half was a story of missed opportunities. The Tigers had possession and created a flurry of chances, but their usual sharp finishing eluded them. The Tigers were also denied a penalty much to the boys’ disappointment. While Copsewood took their clinical chances to pull ahead, the Tigers kept pushing and were rewarded with a fine consolation goal from Uday. Lucas was awarded POTM for a fantastic performance, translating his training lessons on scanning and passing into the game.

The Under 8 Lions boys were back at home today against a very strong SoccerRockz Vikings side. We started off strong, with the scoresheet level thanks to a great goal from Leon! The boys battled hard throughout the match against a tough Vikings team. We were already up against it before kick-off, with just one substitute available, while the opposition were able to make plenty of changes throughout the game. The final score ended in favour of the Vikings, but there were plenty of positives and lots of takeaways for the boys. We’ll take the lessons from today, work on a few things, and come back stronger. We’ll also be making some changes to our Thursday training sessions to help the boys continue developing and improving. Well done Lions — keep battling, keep learning and keep believing!

A really positive morning for GNP Under 7 Lions , playing four 10-minute games against a strong and determined Rugby Borough Lionesses side. The boys started slowly but soon grew in confidence, matching their opponents physically and playing some excellent football. It’s great to see their development each week, with the ball mastery work really starting to show through better footwork, close control, individual skills and a much stronger approach to challenges. Some fantastic goals today, with Qudus showing excellent finishing, footwork and control. Gursevak scored a brilliant goal with great composure, while Jasnoor added another lovely finish and showed real strength holding the ball under pressure. Yahya was outstanding defensively, showing strength and determination, with nobody managing to get past him. Eren showed some excellent skills, confidence and creativity taking on opponents. The outstanding player today was Henry, brilliant again, with his positioning, game awareness and understanding continuing to improve. Really proud of all 6 players who played today — Gursevak, Jasnoor, Eren, Kudus, Henry and Yayha. Every one of them is developing, gaining confidence and starting to put what we’re practising in training into their games. Well done Lions!

GNP Under 11 Jaguars put in a strong performance to secure a well-deserved victory against Stratford. The lads showed great attacking intent, finding the back of the net on five occasions. Reggie led the way with an outstanding hat-trick, showcasing his finishing ability in front of goal. He was joined on the scoresheet by Marc and Eli, who both added goals to cap off a positive attacking display. A special congratulations to Agam, who was deservedly awarded Player of the Match for his excellent contribution to the team. A big shout-out also goes to Levon, who made his debut for the Jaguars. Overall, it was a great team effort, with contributions across the squad helping the Jaguars secure the victory. The boys can take plenty of confidence from this performance as they continue to work hard, develop and build momentum throughout the season.

Under 11 Pumas vs Upper Lighthorne (Away). The Pumas started slowly, with the opposition putting them under pressure from the outset. Two early goals put the boys on the back foot, and despite creating chances, some excellent goalkeeping kept them from scoring. Further goals extended the opposition’s lead. With no substitutes available, the boys had to dig deep in a fast-paced game. The 2nd half saw a much-improved performance, with greater determination and fighting spirit. Their efforts were rewarded when Finan found the net from a lovely weighted pass by Ajeet. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to bring the game back into contention. POTM: Jensen – Outstanding defensive work, great determination and a never-give-up attitude.

The Under 10 Jaguars had a frustrating morning at Finham against Rugby Borough Colts. The boys went in at half-time behind and unfortunately things didn’t improve much in the second half, but the result really doesn’t tell the full story. There were plenty of positives, with the boys putting into practice what they’ve been working on in training. The passing was sharp, with some lovely pass-and-move football and great triangle passing. They worked tirelessly in defence, with Bobby (pictured), Seva and Stan putting in brilliant shifts at the back, while Anwar, Varun and Mithun’s effort levels were immense. Theo kept working hard up front, but unfortunately the chances just wouldn’t fall his way. Leo was on fire all game and thoroughly deserved PotM for his non-stop running, tackles and determination to take players on. A big well done to Isaac too, who stepped into goal and made some great saves. A tough one to take, but the boys kept battling and showed plenty of what they’ve been learning. The effort was there from start to finish, and there was some great football to watch despite the result. Heads up, Jaguars — we go again!

SUNDAY – BOYS

Under 18s faced Birmingham side FC Premier in the 2nd round of the County Challenge Cup. GNP raced into a 3-0 lead in a really positive 1st half. Unfortunately they let things slip in the 2nd half and Premier managed to claw things back to 3-3 by Full Time. The game had to be decided on a penalty shoot out and it was GNP who prevailed, thankfully, 5-4.

Under 15 Pumas (Div D) faced Div B Leaders Copsewood Eagles in a very tough-looking 2nd round League Cup tie. The boys, however, belied all fears of a one-sided game with a brilliant all-round performance. They gave as good as they got in the 1st half but went in at half time 0-2 down due to two well taken goals. The new 3-5-2 shape looked to be working well and playing to the strengths of our players. The boys continued a high level of performance in the 2nd half and should be very proud of how they acquitted themselves. Final score 0-5 but plenty to take away from the game!

Under 15 Lions also faced an uphill battle in the 2nd round of the League Cup, hosting Firefighters Rangers from 2 divisions above. The aim was to make the visitors have to work really hard for any goals, but Firefighters took a really early lead with a soft goal at the near post. Unfortunately we continued to stand off their team in 50/50s, and were disorganised defensively, and were punished accordingly, going in 0-4 at half time. A very stern team talk at half time saw a better response early in the 2nd half, which in turn, gave us some attacking threat for the first time in the game. Kenneth made a nuisance of himself up front and Filip threatened with several strong runs. Unfortunately Firefighters still managed to add goals during this spell. After this, the team’s heads dropped and the game sadly ended with several uncontested chances at goal which saw the score rise to 0-10. A performance to forget for the Lions – they will need to work hard to turn things round when returning to league action after the half time break!

Under 13 Jaguars showed fantastic character and resilience to fight back from 2-0 down and earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw in a tough, physical away fixture at Whitley Juniors. Despite Whitley’s size and strength, the boys stuck to their style, dominated possession at times and created several chances. After Victor had a goal ruled out for a tight offside decision, Whitley doubled their lead from a corner. However, the Jaguars refused to give up. Ahmed found Arjun, whose excellent cross was finished brilliantly by Jago for his first Jaguars goal. Arjun then won the ball back, beat a player and played Victor through, who produced a superb lob over the advancing goalkeeper to make it 2-2! The boys pushed for a winner, while Finlay made several outstanding saves, including a world-class stop, to earn Player of the Match. Harrai also led the defence superbly, and Arjun impressed with two quality assists and tireless work. The draw currently puts the Jaguars top of the league table to continue the great start to the season, it was a fantastic team performance full of effort, commitment and belief.

Under 13 Tigers travelled to Nuneaton to face Div A Vision Warriors in the League Cup Round 2. For the first half the boys gave it their all with spectacular saves, goal line clearances and midfield interceptions frustrating the opposition. The boys pulled off some spectacular runs, sent balls into the box and were unlucky not to score. Unfortunately in the second half Vision broke the deadlock and some defensive mistakes allowed them to score 3 more in quick succession. Rather than drop their heads the Tigers pulled together, fought back and tested the Vision keeper several times. All the players worked extremely hard to keep the scoreline respectable despite the difference in level and the match ended 4-0. After playing some of the best football they have all season, many of the boys deserved the honour, but chosen by the referee, Player of the match went to Moyo.

Under 13 Lions were home to Bedworth United who they know well from Div A last season. Game started end to end and GNP made the pressure count with Sehaj converting from close range. A lapse in marking from a corner allowed Bedworth to equalise but GNP continued to create good chances without adding to the scoreline. 2nd half Bedworth made their extra subs count with fresh legs as the Lions began to tire. They were unfortunate to concede a few goals to counter attacks and deserve real credit in creating some good opportunities themselves. Final score 1-4, with Ryan POTM for an excellent all round game.

Copsewood Lions vs GNP Under 13 Pumas. A game the Pumas will feel they should have won. The Pumas got off to a great start, taking an early 1–0 lead. They created plenty of chances throughout the game but unfortunately couldn’t find the finishing touch to extend their advantage. Copsewood took their chances, breaking away to score the equaliser before adding a second from a free kick shortly afterwards to go into half-time leading 2–1. The Pumas once again made a fast start to the second half, scoring an early goal to bring the game level. However, despite their continued efforts, an unfortunate own goal put Copsewood back in front. The Pumas kept pushing and fighting for an equaliser and were awarded a penalty, but sadly couldn’t convert the opportunity. It was a frustrating game for the Pumas, who created plenty of chances but were ultimately left disappointed with the result. On another day, with a bit more luck in front of goal, this could easily have been a different story.

Under 11 Tigers hosted Coventrians. A lively affair with neither team giving anything away. The Tigers however started to find their flow with some brilliant passing, connecting all the positions together. Ollie as usual pulled off some great early saves to give the defenders confidence. Adam and Felix were outstanding in ensuring the opposition strikers couldn’t break through. It was, however, Player of the Match Arveer who helped link the engine room of the Tigers with his attacking and defensive display. His well-timed passes to the wingers and strikers meant plenty of opportunities were created. It was one of these opportunities that meant the ball was passed to Tyrae who crossed to Rajan who managed to get something on it to take the lead. Coventrians tried to get back into it but the Tigers held firm in what was a very pleasing performance.

The Under 10 Lions played against Mount Nod Thunder. Both teams put on an exceptional display of teamwork and sportsmanship in a high-energy, evenly balanced match. Defence on both sides held strong through a hard-fought first half, with the forwards probing to find chinks in the armour. The end-to-end action continued deep into the second half, with both sides battling away for what seemed like a goalless draw. Gurshaan monopolised on a chaotic scramble to score a dramatic late winner in the final few minutes. Well done to the boys for their continued hard work!

Under 10 Pumas were away to Lillington Juniors. It was an early start on a sunny day. From the first whistle, we were on the back foot and soaked up a lot of pressure, not helped by the fact that we were camped in our own half. We conceded a goal late in the first half, and then three more in quick succession when we came out for the second half. Although we put some pressure on the opposition and had some great forward play, we just couldn’t find the breakthrough to get back into the game. We had some great individual performances but just couldn’t gel as a team. A tough day at the office.

Under 9 Tigers away to Rugby Borough Tigers. GNP came into this game looking for further improvements as the new team continues to get to know each other. Previous games saw the team slow to get going so it was great to see them charge out of the blocks and take a quick lead thanks to Rhys. Rugby managed to hit back and end the quarter ahead. Quarter 2 started with the same enthusiasm and GNP were back level in no time thanks to a great Luca cross and Thomas finish. The teams traded goals again including a classic Luca long range rocket to go into half time level. The team rotation led to the four more attacking players being on the pitch for the 3rd quarter and they soon had Rugby on the back foot after Kyle intercepted a pass and fired home from halfway. Rhys completed his hat trick, and not to be left out, Thomas and Luca both scored their 2nd goals of the game. The 4th quarter included a power play for a good portion of it but this only temporarily slowed the boys down. Led admirably by Kyle calmly bringing the ball up the pitch and trying to find his team mates in the sea of Rugby orange! Again goals were traded (Go Rayan!!) before Kyle scored directly from a corner to seal a comprehensive result. This was a great performance from the team with everyone having fantastic individual moments as well as some thoughtful teamwork, working the ball forward and covering for each other defensively but I will add a special thanks to Thomas who jumped into defence to cover for a late player and had a fantastic game making strong tackles and probing passes, as well as tirelessly charging to the back post. The Under 9 tigers have arrived in style!

GNP Under 9 Pumas played Brinklow Juniors away in a thrilling game where both teams showed great character and resilience from the off. The boys were evenly matched despite the Pumas going behind. After a tight first 10 minutes with the scores back level, following a brilliant equaliser from Tyan, Brinklow were clinical and the Pumas found themselves a couple of goals behind. Harmilun made some great saves in goal to keep Brinklow within arms distance. In the 2nd half, the boys came out hungry; Jovan found the net twice, Armanvir got his first of the season with a lofted finish and another from Kritin, all helped by Angad making some excellent saves in between the posts, as our PotM. Aryan and Kritin both worked tirelessly in defence and up until three minutes before the final whistle, after the Pumas had turned the tie on its head, were heading for an excellent away win. Only for Brinklow to equalise late on. A fantastic end to end game of football to watch, with the boys showing great resilience. Importantly all, players, coaches and parents alike, left with smiles