Under 8 Panthers hosted Haunchwood Diamonds in an early kick off. The girls were on fire leaving nothing to chance. Jodh wowed everyone with a double Hat-trick and further goals were added to the scoreline by Roop, Aish, Elizabeth and Poppy thanks to fantastic interplay in the midfield. In a dominant display, there was one small slip in defence, but a great performance overall. The girls did everyone proud!

Under 9 Panthers played Kenilworth Wardens Eagles missing 2 key players due to injury, which saw the girls being asked to play in unfamiliar positions. The girls started the game well, unfortunately conceding a scrappy goal in the first half. Goals were conceded again early 2nd half but their heads didn’t drop, scoring a perfectly worked goal from a throw in which was subsequently chalked off by the ref for the throw being taken from the wrong place. This didn’t deter the Panthers as they kept pushing forward, limiting any chances from Kenilworth. Ariana dribbled past her marker on the right wing, delivered a cross which hit the opponents hand before being smashed home by Tino. Again, the ref intervened, bringing the ball back for a penalty. Tino brushed off the disappointment and slotted the ball past the goalie from the spot. Massive shout outs to Suvreet playing in defence for the first time, meaning that Divjot was pushed into midfield. And also to Aapti and Aakriti who both stepped up to don the goalie gloves for the first time.

Under 11 Panthers gave a brilliant performance against Kingshurst Pavilion, a team they have previously lost to. The 1st half saw the Panthers keep the ball in the opposition half, with Mankirat driving at the opposition and Avani creating some fine attempts on goal. The girls battled on in the 2nd half with perseverance and resilience, where previously they have begun to tire. Akaal showed a newfound confidence on the field, putting in some fierce tackles against the opposition. Another sterling performance in goal by Harper, making 3 key saves overall which kept the scoreline goalless. The whole team put in a great performance collectively, one of their best so far this season – well done girls!

SATURDAY - BOYS

Saturday saw the eagerly awaited GNP derby between the Under 7 Pumas and the Under 7 Juniors, after their previous S1 fixture was postponed. A very competitive match between the two teams, Pumas pressing high and applying pressure early on, resulted in an early lead. This inspired the Pumas to move forward and capitalise on chances created going into the break. The Juniors battled throughout and some great saves in the 2nd period by Pumas keeper, Ajeet Bahra, minimised the risk of any fight back. Harvey Dhillon secured 4 goals and Sunny Mattu adding a brace of his own, capping off the Pumas clinical attacking performance. Arvind Dosanjh displayed some lovely dribbling and passing, epitomising a deserved PotM display.

GNP Under 7 Lions entertained Coventry Sphinx Blue at Whitmore Park. Lions conceded early but the boys kicked on with Rajan equalising. Sphinx got back in the game with a couple of goals but Giaan was solid at the back and a brace of goals each from Fakhir, Attharv and Rivan saw the Lions finish comfortably on top.

Under 8 Tigers played away against Christ The King in what was a highly competitive match. The home side started bright and our young Tigers had to defend well. Tigers grew into the game and goals from Shawn, Jai and Akash gave us the advantage going into the final 10 mins. However, a rare error at the back allowed CTK back into the game and another goal followed which left the Tigers disappointed at the final whistle. Special mention for Akash, Jai and Harsahib who put in season-best performances. Akash with his relentless effort and finely taken goal, Jai with his positive dribbling and Harsahib in a new defensive position was hard to beat!

Under 10 Tigers played 2 tiers up in a friendly vs Nuneaton Borough. The game finished goalless but a brilliant display from GNP, often outplaying Boro and creating some very good chances, denied by class saves from their keeper. As the game wore down it was the Nuneaton coaches pleading with the ref for how long was left (!). It was a great experience for the team, who are feeling ready for promotion to play in a higher division!

SUNDAY - BOYS

Under 11 Tigers hosted regular opponents Christ the King Rovers Blue looking to extend a fine run of form. They started with real purpose and intent, camped in the CTK half and creating chance after chance. A combination of superb goalkeeping by the CTK stand-in keeper and some last ditch defending denied the Tigers in open play. However, the Rovers couldn’t live with GNP’s set pieces, and after a flurry of corners, PotM Ayden lashed in a left foot volley on the rebound before Arjun deftly diverted in another left sided corner from Saavun to continue their recent goalscoring form. Iklil and stand-in centre back Harman Sangha were imperious at the back, with Dhairya especially quick off his line today to clear any danger, and it looked like it was going to be another big win for GNP. However, many chances were spurned and some dubious offside flags meant further goals were denied. The 2nd half was largely scrappy and CTK grabbed a lifeline, scoring from the spot after a rash foul, but Saavun quickly re-established the 2-goal lead and secured the result, sweeping a low shot into the far corner.

Under 9 Lions were facing Christ The King Rovers at home and had a great start, playing some high pressing football. Evan was heavily involved in the build-up to both 1st half goals, one each for Sehaj and Ryan, giving us a comfortable lead at half time. CTK scored shortly after the break to reduce the deficit and were awarded a penalty with 10 minutes to go. Kian pulled off a great save to keep GNP ahead and shortly after Ryan added his 2nd of the game, with a beautiful strike which nestled in the top corner! An outstanding battling performance, with the Lions giving as good as they got in a game which got a bit feisty in the 2nd half. Player of the match went to Ryan for his 2 goals and all-round battling display.,

GNP Under 9 Pumas visited Bedworth United Mavericks in a game of two halves, which saw the Pumas dominate the 1st half with some great pressing football at every opportunity. Pumas took the lead from a shot by Axel which deflected into goal. Jaiden then denied Bedworth a goal scoring opportunity with a dramatic clearance off the goal line. Pumas closed out the first half in the ascendency in terms of balance of play and scoreline. The 2nd half Bedworth United came out stronger and shocked GNP with 2 early goals and a third also followed. The Pumas managed to gain some much-needed momentum and Axel scored 2 further goals to bring it back all square. But United weren’t to be denied and attacked at every opportunity, managing to score a further 2 goals. Mason had to make some excellent saves to keep the goal count down. It was an enthralling game to watch, packed with everything!

A tough day for the Under 9 Tigers versus a very good Cov Jag team at home. The Tigers started off slowly and Cov Jag controlled the game with fast passing and movement which resulted in their first goal. But GNP pulled themselves together and battled for the rest of the half, unlucky not to equalise. 2nd half started off evenly but then Cov Jag took control again against a tiring Tigers team and put the game out of reach with further goals. Tough result but some great effort from the boys and more importantly, they never gave up and kept battling until the end.

Under 12 Tigers went up against Dunlop Juniors and started off with a great goal by last week’s goalscoring hero, Jayden. At this point the boys were playing well, but Dunlop turned the level up and unfortunately GNP were unable to match that and lost the game 4-1 in what Manager, Chris, described as “a bad day at the office”. Well done, nevertheless, to Aarav for being named PotM with some superb defensive play.

The Under 11 Lions were away to Alvis Eagles this week. The first half was a tight affair, but the home team took the lead mid-way through the 1st half. The Lions battled hard towards the end of the half and were unlucky not to draw level. The 2nd half continued in the same fashion with the home team extending their lead. The Lions thought they had pulled one back through Ayomide but fell victim to a suspect offside decision ruling it out. Alvis scored a third in a frustrating afternoon, ending in another loss. Special praise to Kartikey who battled tirelessly in the heart of the Lions defence, putting in some strong challenges and winning the ball at crucial moments.

Under 10 Pumas entertained Lillington Juniors in another game they are not sure how they failed to win. The Pumas got off to a great start dominating early on, with recent signing Rohan Hayer putting the Pumas ahead with his first goal for the club. In spite of Lillington coming back into it, A well taken penalty by Rayan Naved gave the Pumas a second goal but GNP lost concentration and made mistakes meaning Lillington surged ahead by a large margin before the Pumas picked their game up and tried to salvage something, but were denied. Things to address in training for the Pumas.

Under 10 Lions unfortunately went down to a heavy reverse away to Bedworth Utd as they come to terms with the higher tier and an evolving squad at the same time.