On Remembrance weekend GNP teams joined opponents in minutes of silence to remember the fallen before their games kicked off. As ever there were some amazing achievements across the board for the 23 junior teams in action this week.
Catch up below:

SATURDAY - GIRLS

The Under 8 Panthers team played away against Stockton FC. Despite being down at half time, the team fought back hard and gained an emphatic result. The team played fantastically together with Lily opening up the scoring and Siya scoring a wonderful 4 goals! There was great support from the parents, which created a perfect environment to spur the girls on. The girls pressed hard and moved up the pitch well throughout the game, with all players playing a massive part in this perfect result. Keep up the hard work…Go Panthers!

Under 10 Panthers vs Sutton United. The Panthers played an incredibly tough match this weekend, but still managed to come out on top in the end. The first half was off to an exciting start with GNP piling forward. A free kick was awarded to the Panthers resulting in a near miss by Lily. There were several more attempts at goal, but ultimately without success. The 2nd half was dramatic from start to finish. The Panthers’ defence was momentarily dismantled, gifting Sutton an easy opener. The Panthers responded with renewed vigour and determination, thwarted by some foul play and pushing, which was thankfully halted by the referee. The resulting free kick was set up by Lily and finished with a goal from Jodh! Within minutes, the referee was in action again, with a free kick this time from Elizabeth, delivered with power & Accuracy for GNP's second. The girls were back in the game and not giving in to unnecessary distractions. The communication and team spirit resulted in Anya powering in a perfect shot over the head of the opposition goalie! The match was convincingly concluded with a superb corner set up by Lily and finished beautifully by birthday girl Roop! The girls played with dignity and determination and should be very proud of themselves.

Under 11 Panthers faced a tough task today, away to Stockton with a number of players unavailable. Well done to the girls who played today. Never easy when you play without subs against a team that had 7 to call upon! The second half GNP held our own and we had some chances to get more goals but wasn’t to be today. Congrats to Faith who scored on her debut!

Under 13 Panthers were up against Kingshurst Pavilions. Panthers were 2 goals up within 10 minutes with Mankirat scoring both and continuing her amazing season. Pavilions hit back though shortly after as the Panthers switched off. Some fantastic pressing from Rose and Hannah created pressure and allowed Mankirat to grab another hat trick, her 3rd of the season already. The second half saw Ramneek creating some really good pressure upfront. With the game finely balanced, the Panthers brought it home with some great team play, including an assist from Ekham! Lizzy, Hannah and Rose all grabbed some great goals, all chipping the poor keeper with great technique! This was all possible as the Panthers kept pressing and an impressive performance from Nevaeh showed what’s possible with pressure applied. The opposition grabbed a couple of goals back but the defence led by Avani and Ekham was just too strong. Another solid performance by the Panthers with a 6-3 win which sets them up for their Top of the Table clash next weekend at Coventry Sphinx.

Under 14 Panthers were away to Atherstone Rangers. Despite the 12pm kick off the girls were still half asleep and found themselves 4-0 down in the first 5 minutes. The game finished in a 10-1 defeat. The only positive moments for the Panthers came from a superb goal by Mekenna after beating the defender and rounding the keeper and a penalty save by Harkeerat on what was the Panthers worst performance of the season. The girls need to pick them selves up and focus on putting in a better performance next week

SATURDAY - BOYS

Under 7 Tigers played away to Alvis. In recent weeks the boys have been practicing new skills and developing their knowledge of new positions. This enabled the boys to play in positions that are new to them and didn't they deliver! Aron, Joban and Rayan were solid in defence. Rhys, Taran, Tobias and Sahib were great moving the ball forward quickly. This proved too much for Alvis with goals from Tobias (1), Aron (1), Rhys (2), Taran (2) and Joban (2).

Under 7 Lions - no update

Under 8 Jaguars were at home to Rugby Borough Hawks a team they knew well from an earlier encounter in the season! The Jaguars started brightly with Seva running onto a great pass from Isaac to score. But the rest of the quarter saw the Hawks score three goals of their own before Oryn & Theo linked up well & Oryn finished the move with a smart finish into the bottom right corner. Shaan pulled off some good saves but the Jaguars went down by another goal by the end of the 1st half! A change of personnel saw Mithun press forward with some great attacking prowess & he managed to peg one back ! Then there was some great interplay by Varun & Theo before Oryn managed to score again. Stan came close to scoring before Isaac came into his own & scored a swift hat trick which was completed with a great chip over the keeper. The opposition tried there best to get back into the game but captain Seva who was now keeper, thwarted them. Jaguars didn’t let this one slip & finished the game with an emphatic result. Mithun was electric today and was awarded PotM. The support was terrific as usual & the boys continue to develop and thrive in what is their first season. But more than anything its great to see their camaraderie & determination and the joy they get from these matches - Long may it continue!

Under 8 Pumas played away against Racing Club Warwick Black. It was a great encounter from the start, and we raced into an early lead. However, the opposition fought back and benefitted from a couple of well-taken set pieces. It was an unfortunate loss but our boys showed some flashes of brilliance in the face of tough opposition. Special mentions for Louie who scored yet another hat-trick and Arjan who was great in defence. Onwards and upwards.

Under 8 Lions - no update

Under 8 Tigers - no update

Under 9 Lions hosted the Upper Lighthorne Spitfires in an exhilarating close fought match. Lions put into practice recent drills showing stronger defensive presence and continuing to apply pressure to the opposition. Spitfires struck first, but their leas was short-lived as Lions responded quickly with an impressive goal from Sahib. The 2nd half saw the Lions with renewed determination and continued to press. Arjun and Veer both getting fantastic shots on target. Nikhil capitalised on an opportunity, making a great run at goal and beating the keeper to take the lead. However, a lapse in defence and a fumble in goal allowed the Spitfires to draw level once more. In the dying minutes of the game, the Lions won a kick-in in the Spitfires' half. Fakhir dribbled in, spotted an opening, and fired a powerful shot towards the far post. Despite the Spitfires' attempts to block, the shot landed in the back of the net, sealing a thrilling victory for the Lions. The winning goal and his pivotal presence in midfield won Fakhir PotM. Well done Lions!

Under 9 Jaguars played against Claverdon. Jaguars started off on the front foot with early goals from Agam, who went on to complete his hat trick before the opposition pulled one back just before the half time whistle. 2nd half, the opposition pressed and the defenders played great to stop their attack with some great saves by Rajveer in goal. Due to a lapse in concentration, the opposition got another goal back. The boys didn't let that stop them counter attacking and scored a flurry of goals with the frontline of Raylan, Anshveer and Agam sharing them out. Great passing play by Jake today which earned him the PotM award. Great win for the boys after a week off.

The Under 9 Pumas hosted Stratford Town Knights in an action-packed match. Both teams started off with high intensity, but the Pumas quickly established control, weaving passes through the opposition and creating several scoring opportunities. Against the run of play, Stratford Town scored with their first attempt on goal. The Pumas responded swiftly, with Ife equalizing from close range. In the 2nd half, the Pumas continued their passing game. Yash skillfully dribbled past multiple defenders and was fouled in the box, then calmly converted the penalty to put the Pumas ahead. Harvey added another goal, securing a comfortable lead and sealing the victory. It was great to see the team’s passing practice paying off in the game, a lot of postives to take away from this match. Zak earned Player of the Match for a solid performance in defence.

SUNDAY - BOYS

Under 9 Tigers were up against Cov Sphinx Eagles. Evenly matched for the first 10 minutes before Sphinx managed to grab a goal. The Tigers then came to life and were constantly applying the pressure with the ball in Sphinx territory. Josiah grabbed the opening goal for the Tigers, this was soon followed up with another well taken finish by Joban with an assist by Josiah. Second half saw Rajan slot one in with a perfect assist by Josiah. Sphinx hit back though and with a slender lead by the Tigers they switched gears. Player of the Match Rivan kept Sphinx at bay with some solid defending. A change in formation to attack more brought the desired results, more goals from Josiah and Joban, well taken finish by Eesa and a fab free kick by Arveer saw the Tigers comfortably home and continue their unbeaten run in the league.

Under 10 Tigers were up against Lillington Rangers at home. Tigers started positively and created a lot of early chances but failed to make them count. The deadlock was finally broken by Harrison after Kyan won possession high up the pitch. A rare defensive error allowed the away side back in the game. Jai restored the lead only for Lillington to equalise. More chances continued to come our way in the second half. The team moved the ball smarter but were caught out twice by some unfortunate mistakes. Tigers continued to press forward and hit the post and missed some fairly easy chances. Harrison and Jai added to their goals late on. The Tigers continued to press but couldn't find a winner. It was a day of missed chances again, together with some uncharacteristic mistakes, leading to a frustrating afternoon for our Tigers. PotM went to Jai for his positive dribbling and two goals.

The Under 11 Lions faced Coventry Jaguar Youth Rangers in a highly competitive match. Lions took the lead after a great through ball by Veeran, Kyle with a quality finish. Kyle then doubled the lead with another decent strike before Lions conceded a soft goal. Lions continued to create good chances and Kyle's energy helped seal his hat-trick with a sublime chip assisted by Athrv. 2nd half Lions continued where they left off but couldn't find another goal with quality defending, the crossbar and narrow misses keeping Cov Jag in it. And sure enough they pulled one back before another soft goal made it all square. Lions can hold their heads high with a such a commanding performance. Credit to the opposition for some strong play and good counters. Ben made some exceptional saves and interceptions on his league debut. Player of the match was hat trick hero Kyle, but strong performances all around.

Under 11 Tigers were in action in the league away to Southam United. Just one of those days for the tiger where just nothing came off. Southam took the lead with a mix up in defence and then got a penalty soon after. Southam increased their lead in the second half and nothing the tigers did seemed to work. Lots of work to do!

Under 11 Pumas - no update

Under 12 Pumas were away against Mount Nod. Excellent first half team performance by the boys, taking a 3-0 lead into the half time break courtesy of some lethal finishing by Nathan who scored twice, and a worldie from Armaan who lobbed the Mount Nod keeper from distance. Poor start by the Pumas in the 2nd half allowed Mount Nod to score. Mount Nod piling the pressure on the Pumas, keeper Pravir was called into action on several occasions with some vital saves following a very quiet first half. Pumas picked themselves up again with Nathan adding his 3rd and 4th. A couple of defensive errors allowed Mount Nod to close the gap late on in the game but Pumas won a good three points with a 5-3 against a team that are 3rd in the league.

Under 13 Lions visited Exhall Sky Blues, missing several players for the 2nd game in a row. It was a difficult 1st half with GNP off the pace and consistently 2nd to the ball. Exhall capitalised early with the opening goal, but somehow GNP managed to keep them out for the rest of the 1st half. Strong words from the coach at half time and the boys came out re-energised. All the players raised their levels, none more so than striker Reon, who was released by Ayomide down the left, and then went on to wriggle past 3 defenders on the by-line before smashing in the ball from a narrow angle for a great equaliser! GNP pushed forward with numerous attacks but were let down by some poor decision making and a stout goalkeeper and defence. Soon after Exhall pounced on some mis-control in the centre circle and their attacker raced clear to slot home to regain the lead. This was somewhat against the run of play at the time and GNP kept on the forward pressure. A whole raft of corners came in the last 10 minutes. Ayomide put in some amazing set pieces, but nobody was there to deliver the final critical touch. The Exhall goalkeeper also pulled off a stupendous double save from Reon's pile driver and the follow-up to deny GNP what would probably have been a deserved point. Final score 2-1.

Under 14 Tigers vs Dallas Burston. An impressive 6-3 win in the bag. It was a slow start - struggling to defend the long ball and slow with our counter-attacks, but a few changes flipped the momentum. Good possession play from GNP and some of the training work paid off in terms of the variety of attacking runs being made. Overall football played was high quality and a well deserved win. Congratulations to Max for his hat trick and Aayan, Hawon & Bilawal for their goals. PotM awarded to Hawon for bossing the middle of the park!

Under 16s had a strong start against Leamington Community and were 2-0 up within 10 minutes. The opposition scored just before half time to tighten things up. 2nd half was an even game but GNP soothed the nerves and sealed the win with a goal 3 minutes from time. This leaves GNP as the only team still with a 100% record in Division B.