Despite the occasional ball over the top from Abbey, the hosts had much the better of the first half. Within the first minute Giulia Clini had won the ball in attacking midfield and sent Liz Kriebel down the right; her cross to the back stick was met by Emily Coulson’s flick, but it went just wide.
Em would be central to much that was good about Teddington’s first half. She suffered a couple of early fluffs and miskicks but knuckled down, did the next thing right and worked her way back into the game. In the 12th minute she gained possession by being strong enough to win the battle; clever enough to flick it round the player, she had the vision to play forward to Doddsy – who couldn't find space for a shot but set for Em to shoot from 25 yards. Goalkeeper Amy had to get across to cover it.
The frustration was heightened two minutes later when Abbey went in front. Despite having far less of the possession and chances, the visitors seized the initiative on the edge of the Teddington box and fired past the helpless Ruby Rudkin.
Showing their mettle, the home side might have equalised in the very next minute. Facing down a clearance full in the chest and chasing the bounce down to the corner flag, Emily did well to keep it in and work it out of the corner through neat interpassing with Carla Novakovic then Saskia. From the left-back’s return, Carla's ball along edge of box just evaded Doddsy but Bash sent it towards goal; Amy couldn’t gather at the first attempt but eventually grabbed the ball despite the lurking Doddsy.
Then again, another mere minute later Abbey might have doubled their lead, but for an intervention from the home skipper. The visiting forward did very well to muscle past three-quarters of the Teddington defence – Anna Kauffman, Hannah Hutchison and Millie Theobald all thwarted in their attempts to dispossess her – but she ran out of luck when she ran into Carla on the six-yard line, ferreting the ball clear and encouraging her comrades.
With Abbey holding a strong line on the edge of the box and Doddsy struggling to impose herself, Teddington three times came close with shots from distance. The first came from a fast-flowing move – Hutch playing it wide to Bash, whose low cross for Doddsy was reset for Giulia to find Em whose first-time shot from 25 yards fizzed just over. The second was simpler, Liz winning the ball in the same zone and breezing past the centre-back before firing just too high from the edge of the box. And the third was an unusual but intelligent attempt, Carla leaning back a little too far for a left-foot effort which displayed her growing confidence at the top end of the pitch.
By then Doddsy, who hadn’t quite clicked into gear, had made way for Ale, who almost scored within a minute when she got onto the end of a low cross from Em, who had hurdled a rather brusque challenge en route. Ale’s cleverly urgent run to the near post created the half-chance which she almost completed, but sadly she was less composed two minutes later when Em sent her through on goal, Amy easily dealing with the striker’s undercooked effort.
Still Teddington had to remain strong at the back, and with two minutes to go Ruby showed her physical presence. Seizing on an incomplete clearance, the Abbey striker had bustled between Hutch and Millie T and into clear space within the box – until Ruby barrelled out to throw herself at the ball and gather at the second attempt. Thirty seconds later Ruby stretched to push the same striker’s 18-yard shot over for a corner, Abbey’s first of the day. The visitors are usually a major threat from set-pieces but Teddington remained strong and focused throughout to negate that particular danger.
Boz replaced Bash at half-time but with the wind at their backs, Abbey dominated possession for the next 15 minutes. However, in one of the most encouraging displays of the season, Teddington dug in and defended stoutly, clearing the corners and shuttling across to close down in open play. The only time they did look in trouble – when an up-and-under bounced over Ruby and was slotted into the empty goal – the striker was correctly judged offside.
This truly was a team performance. Ruby was vocal in organising and encouraging her defence. Hutch was a commanding physical presence, with Millie T always on hand to mop up the second balls and seek to break. Although she wasn’t at her best in possession, struggling to find the right out-ball under pressure, Coffee diligently dug in and did her defensive duties.
And on the left, Saskia defied the pre-match doubts about her sore ankle by turning in a quite magnificent performance. Anybody can dash about energetically, but Sas’s impeccable reading of the game meant that she was always in the right place, whether dealing with her own winger, offering protection behind the centre-backs or, increasingly, breaking with the midfield to create an overload and add her pace and guile to the attack. To say that this may have been Sas’s best-ever game is high praise considering the consistent high standards she has quietly set for herself.
After 15 minutes or so of dogged defending – for which Teddington can also thank the midfielders, who were only too happy to hare back and help – the home side finally started to break into the visitors’ half when Em won a header in the centre circle to send Boz through for a shot pulled narrowly past the far post.
The mid-half replacements also gave Teddington a shot in the arm. First the quiet Giulia and luckless Ale were replaced by Doddsy and Sadie Day, the latter bringing her pace to the left while Em switched inside; then Macca came on for Anna at right-back.
Teddington were regarding the regular but well-defended Abbey corners as not just a threat but an opportunity. In the 65th minute a cleared flag-kick allowed the home side to break by firing up to Boz, who had been left up top for the corner while Doddsy went back to join the anti-aircraft artillery; Boz jockeyed through tough tackling to cut in from from left and demand a good save from Amy.
As the game went into the last 10 minutes, Amy would be busier than Ruby. With nine to go she saved Doddsy’s clever near-post flick from a left-wing Liz corner, although two minutes later she was nowhere to be seen as another flag-kick from that flank rolled agonisingly across the six-yard box.
By then Bash was back on for Liz as Teddington threw girls forward, but it was Boz who looked most likely to get the equaliser. With five minutes left she cut in from the right and shot from just inside the box; Amy fumbled it away from danger and dropped on the rebound before Doddsy could get there. And two minutes later Boz again threatened from the right, but Amy gladly gathered the cross. Her resultant drop-kick fell to Abbey’s forward rather than the depleted home defence, and the visitors completed the job.
Losing 2-0 at home is rarely going to be pleasant, but there was no anger or recrimination here. Hard-working in defence and threatening in attack, Teddington had once again shown their promise and development. Maybe this season isn’t going to be one covered in glory, but it may be one that shapes the girls long-term as better players and better people. And that’s all anyone should ask.
TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC Ruby Rudkin, Anna Kauffmann, Hannah Hutchison, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Carla Novakovic, Liz Kriebel, Emily Bashford, Giulia Clini, Emily Coulson, Ella Dodd. Substitutes Ale Fairn, Ella Bothamley, Sadie Day, Millie MacEacharn.
Thanks again to Catherine and David for photography; there's more after the table.
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