Sun 1 Mar: Teddington Athletic 2-2 Abbey Rangers

Quirky fact: Teddington Athletic have never before welcomed the leader of their league to Bushy Park. In their first season, they couldn't, having hit top spot on week one and stayed there; this term, Palace were in pole position when Wimbledon came to town, and none of the other visitors have been top-rated… until this week.

Abbey Rangers hosted Teddington's first-ever game in September 2013 and welcomed Athletic again for this term's curtain-raiser. Teddington overwhelmed a weakened home side 6-2 but November's hard-fought 1-0 home win at Bushy Park was a much more accurate reflection of Abbey's ability: since that opening loss they had won 11 out of 16 league games, only conceding more than two goals in a 3-1 loss at champions Wimbledon and a freakish 9-4 win at Croydon – the latter game accounting for four of the five goals they had conceded in the last six games. Abbey are a well-drilled, competitive team, particularly strong on set-pieces and through-balls.

Not the easiest opponents to face in a force-five west-south-westerly touching 30km/h, then – but Teddington dealt with the conditions brilliantly. Opting to kick into the wind in the first half, they worked hard in defence and created chances intelligently, passing along the deck and under the gathering gale.

That defence – Ruby Rudkin continued in goal, with Millie Theobald recalled alongside Saskia Brewster and Ella V dropping between them – was under pressure early on: Abbey forced four corners in the first two minutes, two caused by Millie deflecting shots wide.

Any idea that this would be backs to the wall was blown away on the stroke of five minutes when Teddington took the lead. Abbey had been caught offside and Jelly clipped a considered free-kick to front-runner Ale Fairn, on the front edge of the centre circle. Typically aware of her team-mates' movements, Ale slipped it right to Ella Dodd, who barnstormed forward with growing self-belief. Shrugging off two defenders, she put her laces through the ball and set the net a-billowing.

Increasing in confidence, Teddington were defying the elements and opponents to gain the upper hand. The welcome return of Sinead Morris on the left wing gave them pace, while Emily Coulson continued to offer central craft – and increasing graft, working hard alongside her schoolmate Doddsy to keep Abbey at bay. Em it was who slipped a clever alley ball to, well, Ale, whose attempted lob didn't quite clear the goalkeeper.

Just after the quarter-hour, Teddington managed a four-on-two break, with the excellent Doddsy charging down the right but her cross just eluding Ale, Sinead and Emily. Then twice in three minutes Amy Hallett – working her legs to stumps on the right wing in the absence of Phoebe Head – broke through and shot on target, although perhaps on the second occasion she may have opted for a cross. Instead, the goalkeeper cleared long, the bounce confused the defence and the ball was fired high and hard past Ruby's left hand.

Teddington couldn't say they hadn't been warned – Abbey had previously dribbled past Jelly and Millie until Saskia intervened and forced the ball back to Ruby – but nor did they fold upon conceding the equaliser. Again, Doddsy broke down the right (with Amy tucking in defensively behind her), outmuscled two opponents and lofted over a cross, but again it was achingly just over Ale and Sinead.

Back came Abbey, firing across the area through a flurry of legs until Ruby brusquely claimed the ball. The newbie goalkeeper didn't always catch the ball cleanly, leading to a few defibrillator moments, but she is displaying a growing confidence, reflected in her grinning team-mates.

Even so, Ruby was a helpless witness just after the half-hour when Abbey hit the post with a sweetly-hit first-time shot from the edge. However, Teddington made it to the break – and respite from the wind – level and happy.

By then the hard-working Amy had been subbed for Sadie Day, but only briefly: an ankle whack caused her almost immediate replacement by Sophie Wallman. Further reinforcements arrived at half-time, with Ella Parkinson-Mearns stepping in for the blameless Millie and Carla Novakovic replacing Ale, Doddsy moving up front to add a physical presence – and a target for wind-assisted through-balls.

It doesn't always help to have the wind at your back – for the last gale-lashed game, against South Park, Teddington failed to use the conditions to their advantage – and Abbey had the first chance after the break, due to confusion between Saskia and Jelly, both otherwise excellent. Jelly almost put the home side back in front after Sinead took a corner short to her, but her wind-assisted effort sailed just past the far post.

No matter: again bang on the five-minute mark, Teddington deservedly retook the lead… with a classic long-ball goal. Ruby's drop-kick towards Sinead caught the wind, bounced over the centre-half and was collected by Doddsy, who calmly flicked past the goalkeeper with the outside of her right foot.

Although Abbey tried to break, the next 15 minutes were Teddington's, and they came agonisingly close to doubling their lead. First Jelly fired just wide, then Sinead turned her full-back inside out, cut in onto her left and curled a beauty toward the far top corner… but the goalkeeper flew across to tip it wide. Perhaps the best single save against Teddington this season, and there's been a few.

What was already a crucial stop – in the teeth of the wind, Abbey would surely have struggled to come from two goals down – turned into a point-saver when the visitors equalised in the 55th minute. Powering past Parky, the Abbey forward rounded Ruby and tucked in despite the desperate interventions of Jelly and Sas.

Teddington could have buckled, but over the last month they have shown a growing self-belief and they simply redoubled their efforts, Sinead breaking through and slid a shot just wide, although Abbey threatened from set-piece routines and Ruby did particularly well to push one rising shot over.

That prompted a reshuffle with Sophie making way for Millie, and the defender was immediately back in almost comic action: her back-pass to Ruby was almost picked up until the goalie remembered herself, stood up, almost let the ball roll into the goal and just about managed to keep it out… and then her clearance was mere inches from finding Doddsy up the other end.

Pushing hard, Teddington would have further chances, created from nothing amid tight marking. First Doddsy brilliantly brought down a high ball, swivelled onto it and almost connected with what would have been a world-class volley. Then, in the final minute, she got on the end of a Jelly throw high on the right wing and back-headed it onto the post.

And so, honours even, for only the second time in Teddington's short history. The home side hadn't just held their league-leading visitors: they had twice gone in front, troubling them throughout – with and without the wind – and had once again proved themselves worthy adversaries.

With Wimbledon fixtureless today, when these sides renew battle next week Abbey will still be top, albeit only by two points having played five more. The Addlestone outfit have only three games left: after revisiting Bushy Park, they will host Wimbledon then travel to Colne, their fixtures over in March, whereas Teddington's stretch into May. They will set a target for the chasers to reach, and it will be fascinating to see if Teddington can catch them.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Ruby Rudkin; Mille Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Ella V, Ella Dodd (2), Emily Coulson, Amy Hallett, Ale Fairn, Sinead Morris. Subs Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Sophie Wallman, Sadie Day, Carla Novakovic.