Sun 14 Sep: Abbey Rangers 2-6 Teddington Athletic

After a summer of wondering, Teddington Athletic got straight back to winning. Last season's Division Two champions were always going to be promoted, but the question was to which division? And when it emerged that they would be airlifted straight into the Premier Division, how would they fare against top-flight teams?

On first impression, the girls have much to learn but little to fear. They tore straight into Abbey Rangers – the fourth-best side in last season's league – from the off, and scored after just three minutes with a goal showcasing their fine football. 

Quietly imperious as ever in defence, Saskia Brewster dispossessed a forward and looked up to select the best pass. In sending Sinead Morris scampering down the left flank, Sas set the template for the afternoon: flying left-winger Sinead was unstoppable. On this occasion her cross wasn't quite dealt with by centre-forward Ale Fairn, but right-winger Phoebe Head had cut across in support and tucked home confidently with her weaker left foot. 

On the touchline, Phoebe's dad Julian smiled benignly. He's presumably accustomed to seeing his daughter score – Pheebs bagged 27 last season for Athletic alone, never mind other teams graced by her presence – but the shoot-on-sight policy vindicated his careful scouting of the opposition, diligently informing the management that understrength Abbey had a stand-in goalkeeper.

Mind you, so did Teddington. With goalkeeper Margaret Thomas not expected back from her broken wrist until well after Christmas, Ella V donned the gloves with typical enthusiasm, and made two crucial saves within the five minutes after the opening goal – the first after rushing out to foil a through-ball, the second an excellent reaction save from a deflected shot. 

Athletic had their own absentees, with Margaret only one of five unavailable for selection. Sophie Wallman was busy elsewhere, Sadie Day and Ella Parkinson-Mearns ill, and Amy Hallett suffering a foot problem. Having limped through training on Friday, Ruby Rudkin declared herself fit for football, while Carla Novakovic needed a late fitness test after suffering an ankle knock in the warm-up. 

Having weathered Abbey's initial response to the opener, Teddington reasserted themselves and set about turning the home defence. First Sinead almost reached a through-ball, then Ale burst through the back-line only to see her effort well saved. 

Then one of the new signings started to make her presence known. Already well-known to several squad members through school, Ella Dodd has immediately settled into the midfield trio with her physical presence and calmness in possession. First she played an intelligent diagonal daisy-cutter to release Sinead, whose fierce shot was tipped over; then from Sinead's short corner she cleverly rolled her marker and fired in a shot, from which the rebound was curled just over by fellow Kempton Girls émigré Carla. 

While the two new girls added industry and intelligence in midfield, familiar faces wrought havoc further forward. Sinead again tore down the left, twisting and turning past clearly uncomfortable defenders before turning inside and hitting the bar. 

A second goal seemed imminent, and when it arrived just before the half-hour it was no surprise that Sinead was involved again, centring for Emily Coulson – excellent and typically thoughtful in a more disciplined, deeper midfield role than last season's performances as a trequartista behind the frontline. Emily confidently found Ale, who calmly turned and finished to double the lead. 

Still Teddington came. Two minutes after Doddsy's clever but overhit volleyed pass sailed past Phoebe, the same two linked again – to devastating effect. Playing a simpler ball to the right-winger and moving into space to complete the one-two around the helpless defender, the new girl lashed home the third. 

Right at the end of a half that was five minutes longer than the expected half-hour, and with two substitutes (Ruby for Doddsy and third new girl Anna Kauffmann for Ale, with Carla moving up front) settling into midfield, the visitors lost concentration and lost their clean sheet. Abbey broke down their left, the newly-formed midfield didn't track back and Jelly was powerless to stop a confident finish – the last kick of the half and the first lesson of this top-flight season.

Rangers started the second half strongly as Teddington ceded superiority at both ends of the field. They lost some attacking impetus when Phoebe was substituted, partly to change her footwear after slipping in her astroturf trainers on the curious surface - longer-grassed than Abbey's other dozen or so pitches, and still covered in hay 10 minutes before the game. But they also lost concentration at the back: twice in rapid succession Millie Theobald underhit backpasses which slowed on that long grass, and on the second occasion Abbey almost pulled another goal back. 

However, with manager Dave W helping reorganise them, Teddington learnt lessons, reshaped and reasserted dominance. Millie T cleverly took up deeper positions to thwart attacks. Anna, with Dave's instructions translated via her dad Jan, ran herself to a standstill – worryingly so when she required some help after coming off exhausted; any team has a primary duty of care for its players, and we'll need to make sure Anna is safe to play. Football isn't a matter of life and death.

Ruby, who had given away a free-kick within seconds of coming on and was subsequently treated with suspicion by the referee, got her head "into the blue" – to use the phrase from Wednesday's illuminating psychological chat – and also dropped back from midfield to protect the defence and spray the ball around, in the manner of Steve Gerrard for her beloved Liverpool. 

By working hard for each other, Teddington came again. Sinead broke through once more, only to be denied by the goalkeeper. Then Emily, somewhat liberated by Ruby's defensive diligence, danced through a knot of two or three opponents just outside the area but flashed the shot just wide. Then in the 54th minute Doddsy, back on for the willing but exhausted Anna, set up Carla whose shot pinged off the post – straight to the waiting, unmarked Millie MacEacharn, who leathered it in at the far post for 4-1.

Then, as if in warning that this will not be an easy league, Abbey immediately hit back through a mistake made in earnest pursuit of good football. Saskia, otherwise exemplary all day, was dispossessed while trying to dribble out of defence rather than hack it clear, and the confident finish of the Abbey forward gave the visitors a welcome reminder that Teddington must remain focused at all times in a league full of good forward players. 

Luckily, quite a few of those good forward players play for Teddington, and straight from the kick-off one of them proved it yet again: Sinead zoomed through the terrified home defence and thrashed the ball into the top corner for 5-2. 

Ella Dodd completed the scoring in the last 10 minutes, powering onto the ball and slotting it professionally into the corner. That was her second of the day but Teddington's six goals came from five different players, and indication of the squad's strength in depth.

More faces will return next week for the trip to Colne Valley. With squad rotation, players like Sophie, Sadie, Amy and Parky might get their first experience of a top division that could bring some lessons and surprises but should hold no fears. 

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC (2-3-3): Ella V; Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster; Ella Dodd (2), Emily Coulson, Millie MacEacharn (1); Phoebe Head (1), Ale Fairn (1), Sinead Morris (1). SUBS Carla Novakovic, Anna Kauffman, Ruby Rudkin.