This is our final weekly round-up of 2024, our biggest and best year yet at GNP Sports FC. Its been a great and very busy season so far, so we would like to take this opportunity to wish all our members and supporters a restful mid-season break, a merry christmas and a happy new year! 2025 has some super-exciting things in store at GNP and we can't wait to share them with you!

SATURDAY – GIRLS

Under 10 Panthers were away to CCC Greens looking to bounce back from last week’s rare setback. Lily took the lead by starting the 1st half in goal. The Panthers started well with Khloe, Roop and Anaiya linking play well with Elizabeth to create a few chances to take the lead. Their goalkeeper was strong, and the team would need to keep working to get a goal. The strong attacking play led to a momentary weakness at the back, allowing CCC’s to take the lead. The team were stunned but continued to work hard. Jodh pushed forward from the back and provided a great solo goal to equalise. Then Jodh assisted Elizabeth with a nice curling shot into goal. The 2nd half saw Elizabeth & Roop share GK duties. CCC’s came out strong looking for another goal, battling hard with the Panthers. Both teams were getting tired and this created gaps in the GNP defence. CCC had a great chance to level the game but a double save by Roop and a goal mouth scramble got the ball out of the danger area. Aish moved into midfield and then used her skills to get a lovely cross which Elizabeth clinically put away. A lot of tired legs and happy faces who all played well, clearly enjoying their football.

Saturday saw the Under 11 Panthers playing their first match in 4 weeks, with Avani making her debut having signed during the week. The cobwebs were soon showing after conceding to an early Vision Vixens goal. This sparked the girls into life, and they were soon on par with Vision. As the half wore on, the girls became even stronger and managed to take a well-deserved lead. The end to the half was tough as the visitors piled on the pressure. In the 2nd half a goal straight from a corner from Avneet gave the girls a bit of daylight but the visitors soon hit back. The visitors continued to pile on the pressure with a few attempts on goal. The Panthers Family would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and New year filled with plenty of football!

Under 14 Panthers were at home against Stratford Town. The girls started slowly and found themselves 2-0 down after being undone by 2 long balls over the top. The Panthers then took control of the game and had their chances rattling both the crossbar and post in different attacks and drawing good saves from the opposition keeper but couldn’t find a way past the keeper. This was definitely a game of two halves and on another day the Panthers could have taken the points, but the game ended in a 2-0 defeat.

SATURDAY - BOYS

The Under 7 Tigers played at home to Southam United. The boys got off to a strong start but Southam United fought back leading GNP to concede a few goals. A special mention to Sahib this week who got his first goal of the season! The Tigers were yet again outstanding, and their team effort led to plenty of goals from the team. Aron (7), Joban (3), Taran (2), Rhys (1) and Sahib (1).

Under 7 Lions – no update

Under 8 Jaguars played the Under 8 Pumas who were after revenge from the return fixture a few weeks ago. This time the game was a lot more competitive with the Pumas at full strength and the score was level three quarters of the way through the game. The stand-out player for the Jags was Mithun who constantly fought for every ball and carried the ball forward creating dangerous situations scoring a brace. There were numerous goal-scorers again for the Jags; Bobby scored an early hat trick getting the ball rolling by being in the right position at the right time. Stan, Isaac and Theo chipped in with goals also in an entertaining game. This is 5 wins on the bounce for the Jags now who are performing consistently well.

Under 8 Tigers lost away at Soccer Rockz in a great game. Soccer Rockz were the dominant team but GNP caused them a lot of problems and had their moments. Gurshaan was on form with 2 goals, and Arjun scored a brace as well. Arvind was POTM for his determination and great effort.

Under 8 Lions – no update

Another Saturday can only mean another GNP Under 9s Derby in the Mid Warwickshire League! Under 9 Jaguars hosted the Under 9 Lions in the final match of the year. Lions took control of the game with Sahib and Veer both getting on the score sheet in quick succession. Jaguars kept their heads up and continued to battle, pressing the Lions and breaking through, giving Raylan and Agam chances on goal but Sehaj was able to thwart their attempts. Fakhir and Sahib further increased the Lions lead before half time. Jaguars started the second half without any subs but continued to give the Lions a challenging game. However, the Lions were on fire with Fakhir opening the scoring in the 2nd period. The Lions worked together passing the ball quickly up the field feeding ball after ball for Sahib to extend their lead. The Jaguars were able to grab a consolation goal through a long cross from Agam, picking up a deflection from Giyaan, but this wasn't enough to stop Sahib grabbing 5 goals! Lions PotM went to Arjun for excellent communication and teamwork.

The GNP Under 9 Pumas faced Leek Wootton at home in an exciting match. The Pumas came out strong, with Musa opening the scoring, followed by a second goal from Kandes. Ajeet added a third with a well-executed finish from a corner kick. In the second half, the opposition capitalized on their opportunities to level the game at 3-3. However, the Pumas shifted into high gear, with Kandes finding the net once again. Harvey (5), Zak (3), Kandes, and Sunny all added to the scoreline in a dominant display. Sunny was named Player of the Match for an all-around midfield mastercalss. A fantastic way to wrap up 2024!

GNP Under 12 Tigers hosted Kenilworth Wardens on Saturday in what turned out to be a very entertaining game. GNP came flying out the blocks with 9-10 shots within the first 15 mins but it was the Wardens that took the lead, against the run of play & went into HT 0-1. 2nd half GNP continued their assault on the Wardens goal and were finally rewarded with a fine finish from Rajan. GNP continued to dominate but the Wardens were clinical on the counter, again going 1-2 up. GNP pulled back the equaliser only to be caught again by a fine counter-attack. With seconds left on the clock Muhammad playing himself onside from the halfway line, made a dazzling run to equalise with seconds to spare. A morning of missed chances but GNP salvaged a point from the game. Player of the match, Muhammad with two fine goals.

SUNDAY – BOYS

Under 13 Tigers played away at Chapelfields Colts Lionesses, a super impressive all-girls team full of players from numerous professional club academies. It turned out to be a very tight and tense affair. GNP were superior 1st half and could have scored from one of 4 or 5 very good chances but it wasn’t to be due to a combination of the woodwork, snatched finishes and superb defending. In the 2nd half the Lionesses grew into the game more and attacked with much more threat than the 1st half – Wiktor denied their best chance with a spectacular full length save. But GNP still created the clearer opportunities, Iklil was denied by the GK when set free 1v1 by Oscar, but Saavun made no mistake when released by Ehan in the final quarter of the game with a superb low finish out of the keeper’s reach to clinch the game. Despite having not played for 3 weeks, the Tigers continued their fine winning run (4 in a row) and 5 wins in 7 league games leaves them well placed for a potential promotion push after the Xmas break. The first clean sheet of the season saw defender Enoch awarded PotM.

Under 13 Lions hosted close rivals Coventrians Phoenix in difficult pitch conditions and with a spate of late squad withdrawals through illness. The boys started tentatively and found themselves down 0-2 quickly following two fast counter attacks. A 3rd Coventrians goal followed midway through the 1st half to make things very difficult. However, substitutes Aaron & Mario both came off the bench to great effect, Aaron with his high pressing and Mario notching a clinical goal after Harman switched the ball with a great pass to the left. Mario took an imperious 1st touch and bent his shot in with venom, leaving the keeper no chance. This goal and the half time team talk jolted the Lions into action with a high energy 2nd half. A quick and clever free kick routine set Reon free in the box. Whilst Reon’s shot was thwarted, Dom was on hand to deftly take the rebound and loop the ball over the keeper’s dive for his 2nd goal of the season and lift hopes of a comeback. New keeper Caleb came into his own with some great rushes off his line to thwart the occasional Coventrians attacks, but he couldn’t do anything to deny the final goal of the game when the impressive right winger got to the byline and squared the ball for his striker to tap into an empty net. Even then the Lions hadn’t given up and Mohammed seemed destined to score when clean through, but was denied by a worldie save from the Coventrians goalkeeper. Great game…Final score 2 – 4.

Under 12s Pumas finished the year off with a great win, albeit not with the best of performances. GNP got off to a flying start, going 5-0 up within the first 20 minutes, courtesy of 5 goals from the prolific Nathan, who took his tally to 22 for the season! Pumas then gifted 2 goals, to go into the half time break 5-2 up. Pumas then started the 2nd half very slowly; Brinklow applied lots of pressure to try and close the gap, but with limited success. Pumas extended their lead from some great play by Armaan down the left wing, Armaan whipped in a perfect cross for Casper to latch onto making it 6-2 to the Pumas. Haris Hussain added a 7th before Brinklow pulled another 2 goals back, again, gifted by Pumas errors. Pumas won the game 7-4. Player of the match performance by Armaan Vraitch who never stopped battling.

Under 11 Lions were at home to Lillington. A pretty even first half; Lillington were dominating the ball in midfield without creating too many chances, so we went in all square at half time. 2nd half, the Lions got into their rhythm and created numerous chances, cutting the opposition open. 2 goals from Kyle and a 3rd for Rajan meant that the Lions ran out comfortable winners, in the final game of the year. Man of the match went to Philipos, for 2 great assists and playing well in a couple of different positions.

Under 11 Tigers were in league action at home in the last game before the Xmas break against Athletic United. Tigers put on a great show, dominating the first half and taking the lead with goals from Majid and Alfie. Some great defending on show as well to keep the opposition at bay. Second half was a bit closer with Athletic scoring from a close free kick but the Tigers held out for the result. Good performance by the boys.

Under 11 Pumas – no update

Under 10 Tigers were away against Leamington Brakes in their final game of season 1. Our Tigers started positively, keeping possession and playing through the opposition and created a lot of chances. Nathaniel opened the scoring after Harrison’s strike was spilled, Nathaniel then dribbled through and shot, this time Akaalvir tapping in the rebound. The home side started quick in the second half, scoring from a corner. Tigers responded quickly and started to dominate again, some excellent work by Chimdubem twice down the right set up Harrison & Jai and Akaalvir added more goals with some quick passing moves. Harrison sealed his hat trick with a sublime free kick. PotM was a tough one with so many standout performances, however with the freekick and hat trick Harrison was rewarded with the honour.

GNP Under 9 Tigers visited Hawkesmill Eagles. The Tigers started aggressively, creating lots of very good opportunities, but we saw stubborn defence from Hawkesmill at the start. But Rajan mastered the ball well, assisting Josiah for an opening goal of the game. Rajan followed up quickly with another goal, which was a difficult shot from a narrow angle. Salman was great in defence using his strength and skills to win the ball from the attackers. Rivan gave us some excellent defence too, getting to the ball first and distributing it forward ally effectively. Rajan showed more great skills and unselfishly assisted Joban to finish another goal. Today saw a change in the boys’ typical positions at different stages and they all adapted well, especially Veer & Arveer who stayed alert as stand-in goalkeepers to maintain an excellent clean sheet for the team. Rajan then produced a sublime reverse pass to set up Josiah who rounded the keeper expertly to finish a beautiful goal. Tigers demonstrated good teamwork in the second half, with players tracking back to neutralise the Eagles’ attacks and secure an emphatic result. Rajan earned the POTM for the 2nd week in a row with his dazzling display up front!