Sun 12 Jan: Caterham Pumas (H) W 3-0

Proponents of a winter break suggest football should be laid up for as long as a month while the weather is at its worst. Teddington Athletic have gone cold turkey across the Christmas schedule but got back into the groove on Sunday with perhaps their best performance of the season.

On the face of it, a 3-0 scoreline seems relatively unimpressive for a team who'd previously piled up 106 goals in 13 successive wins. Furthermore, Teddington didn't break the deadlock on this cold and frosty morning until five minutes into the second half, with two late goals being scant reward for the tough opposition put up by Caterham Pumas, the division's second-best team.

But the girls returned from their enforced break eager to play football, and importantly to do so as a team: to help each other win the ball back, and to find each other with it. Here was a bunch of girls who'd only played one game together in seven weeks, but each of them played for a common purpose and a common goal - even when the goals wouldn't come.

A spot of ring-rustiness was to be expected, but much of the inertia had been blown away in training. With the waterlogged pitches at Hampton Court House School forcing the cancellation of the usual Thursday night session, TAFC's chief coach Tony Mez had invited the squad to join the U13 girls' Friday night practice under the lights at Teddington School – and the combination of the zippy artificial surface, the competitive presence of their 'big sisters' and a genuine desire to play again produced an excellent training session. Should the Hampton pitches remain sodden, the girls will again train at Broom Road on Friday, and manager Dave W is exploring the possibility of a permanent switch, certainly from next season if not before.

First, to more immediate business. Caterham had run Teddington reasonably close in their last encounter, becoming the first team to shut out the league leaders for an entire half when they reduced a 4-0 half-time deficit in Caterham. And the determined visitors proved worthy opponents in a hard-fought first half, defending determinedly and threatening on the break.

With Sophie Wallman and Saskia Brewster rested, Teddington were handed a late blow when key striker Ale Fairn turned up nursing a sore Achilles and defender Ella Parkinson-Mearns feeling sickly. Opting to play it safe by resting Ale and keeping Parky on the bench, Dave played Ella V at the back alongside the unrufflable Millie Theobald, and the two rewarded him with Athletic's first clean sheet since October.

The credit for that should be shared round the team, though. Goalkeeper Charlotte Ward was calm when called upon, and the team defended as a unit. The latter was especially called for when the typically dominant Jelly limped off with a painful ankle knock midway through the second half; overcoming her own queasiness, Parky came on to shore up a defence which was diligently protected by a hard-working midfield.

That department was staffed by a combination of the ever-willing Ruby Rudkin, the quietly determined Millie MacEacharn and the increasingly impressive Sadie Day with Emily Coulson. Selected in her usual 'No.10' role just behind the attacking trident, Emily had been as intelligent as ever spraying the ball around to the front three. But when her team needed a more compact shape to combat Caterham's thrusts in Jelly's absence, she willingly sat in front of the defence – and, having won the ball back, simply dictated attacks from there instead. Although handy in front of goal, Emily may very well also be able to play as a deep-lying playmaker, and if she can add that string to her bow it would give the management some interesting tactical options for the games to come.

Each of the wingers Emily so regularly found drew praise from the touchline. On the right, Phoebe Head was a calm menace all game, cutting into the inside-forward channel throughout the first half but keeping chalk on her boots after the break. One of many stunning runs down the right touchline ended in her jinking inside and firing through the goalkeeper to double their preciously-protected lead; another, past endless opponents, was topped by a delicious cross which Emily finished off for 3-0, the run drawing vocal praise from Caterham manager Neil.

On the left, Sinead Morris produced what Teddington manager Dave called her finest performance. Captain for the day, the effervescent forward has never lacked talent, but it has sometimes proved difficult to adapt her playground-kickabout enthusiasm into a team unit. But here Sinead matched typically energetic defensive work with thoughtful, selfless attacking play, linking well with her colleagues and always making the right decision for the team's benefit rather than necessarily her own glory. There'll be plenty of both to come.

In between and in Ale's absence, Amy Hallett – no mean winger herself, and no stranger to the scoresheet – tirelessly took on the frontrunner role, frequently outnumbered but never overawed. In common with her colleagues, many of Amy's little touches didn't quite come off, but she never gave up, and it was her indefatigable energy that forced the first goal, five minutes after the break, when she and a defender turned the ball home together. Being a goalscorer, Amy claimed it, and as there's no betting on junior football and thus no Dubious Goals Committee, she's welcome to her 14th of the season.

Speaking of 14, that's the number of league wins Teddington now have on their impeccable record. As it turns out, they'll need two or three more to lift the title: the 'champions' celebrations of November have been rendered premature by the league's decision that all Division Two teams should play each other four, rather than three, times. It's a change that the Teddington management have welcomed: after all, it means more fixtures on the calendar, and who wants to stop playing football?

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC (2-3-3) Charlotte Ward; Millie Theobald, Ella V; Ruby Rudkin, Emily Coulson (1), Millie MacEacharn; Phoebe Head (1), Amy Hallett (1), Sinead Morris (c). Subs: Sadie Day, Ella Parkinson-Mearns.
10am, Teddington Cricket Club; clear and frosty. 

Phoebe crosses...

...Emily scores...

...they dance.