Crystal Palace’s lovely manager Matt deserves better than his constant struggle to scrape together players: only 10 arrived in Teddington, although he and his coach imbued in them a commendable will to win. With a 14-girl squad to choose from (Giulia and Sadie being unavailable), the hosts made four changes from the epic Cup win over Fleet: Amy Hallett started in deep midfield for Liz Kriebel (rotated to the bench for the first time in an impressive season), with Ella Dodd also rested as last week’s goalscorer Ale Fairn kept her place up top. Millie MacEacharn started on the left with Emily Coulson switching inside to replace Giulia, while Emily Bashford’s slight cold had her rested to the bench for Ella Bothamley, who was also a little under the weather but didn’t tell her coaches, much to their chagrin.
It took just seven minutes for Teddington to break the deadlock, when Amy calmly intercepted and rolled a through-ball for Emily to finish. But the home side weren’t quite at the races: Saskia Brewster had to dig back and stop a threat from Palace’s dangerous right-winger, just two minutes after Anna Kauffmann had done a similar rescue job down the other flank.
On 16 minutes the lead was doubled when Emily spread wide to Macca, whose ball was met first-time in the D by Boz’s left foot. Macca was having a decent game high on the left, linking well with her team-mates, so it was doubly a shame that she had to relocate to left-back when Saskia succumbed to an injury on the arch of her foot in the 24th minute.
The switch demonstrated the squad’s flexibility – Macca willingly dropped to left-back, immediately crashing into a tackle; Emily went into her regular wide-left position and Liz came on at No.10, a position she hasn’t played this season but was very happy to try, although she later acknowledged that “Giulia’s position is haaaard, man – so much running!”. The reshuffle also gave Teddington a back four of Millie, Millie, Hannah and Anna, which might be a recipe for confusion without clear communication.
With linesman Andy Kriebel’s flagging “dabs” and a subs’ bench treating us, if that’s the verb, to choral renditions of festive favourites including Jingle Bell Rock, the feel was more festive than focused – although Ruby Rudkin was certainly in the wide-awake club on the half-hour with two saves in a minute, firstly with her hands to scoop that right-winger’s shot wide for a corner, then from that set-piece saving a six-yard snapshot with her feet.
On came Bash for the somewhat under-pat Boz, immediately frightening her left-back and forcing a save from the goalkeeper, but it was from the other side that Teddington made it 3-0 three minutes before the oranges.
The home side had been encouraged to test the goalkeeper by shooting early, and although some players occasionally misunderstood this with attempts from distance having beaten the offside trap, Emily eventually provided the perfect example. Her layoff to Ale was rewarded with a sumptuously cushioned lay-off back to her, sitting up and demanding to be hit first-time – and Em did just that, arrowing it inside the near-post from the inside-left channel before the keeper had a chance to react.
At half-time the ailing Amy was rested off, with Liz dropping back in and Doddsy playing behind Ale, but a three-goal lead didn’t spare the girls some calmly delivered suggestions for improvement. But Palace were the team who got better, and how. Three minutes into the second half, the right-winger scorched past Macca and her cross was turned in confidently at the near post; three minutes later, the winger cut out the middle-man and simply cut inside to lash past Ruby for 3-2.
Changes were needed and Amy’s rest period was cut short after just five minutes. She returned to deep midfield with Carla replacing Macca at left-back, while Ale made way for Boz – another reshuffle sending Emily inside behind Doddsy, Boz going wide left to keep Bash terrorising her left-back.
The changes settled Teddington, who started to carry more threat going forward, exemplified when they Em spread the play left Boz to cross left-footed – Bash tore in at the back post and hit it gorgeously first-time, but just wide.
Such promise up top was nullified a minute before the hour by a lapse at the back as the Palace forward on the edge of the box was allowed to turn and shoot past Ruby. Inside 15 minutes the home side had gone from 3-0 up to level against a 10-man side at the bottom of the league who had lost every game this season. The small crowd of visiting parents were understandably exultant, but how would Teddington react?
It’s a pleasure to report that they didn’t fold, but knuckled down and concentrated on doing the next thing right. The defence notably tightened up, exemplified when Hannah Hutchison flew across to the corner of the area to contest a loose ball with the centre-forward. The centre-back’s strong shoulder-charge sent her flying and the visitors claiming for a penalty, but the ball was in playing distance, the shoulder-charge legal and the claims ignored.
Up front, Teddington continued to create and learn. When Doddsy was sent through her shot was too close to the goalkeeper’s foot, a mistake she noted and later rectified. But when the home side did retake the lead, in the 67th minute, the goal came from a different source.
Sniffing goals with Teddington pinning the visitors in, Boz had shifted into an inside-left position. Spying the space outside her, Emily cleverly drifted to the left flank, allowing Amy and Liz to recycle wide to her, shifting defenders across. Em quickly found Boz, who tricked inside her marker and shot across the goalkeeper. It hit the far post, bouncing straight out to Bash, who had diligently followed in; instinctively sticking out her left foot, she diverted the ball past the goalkeeper and slowly but deliciously over the line. Deliriously celebrated with what must have seemed to Palace like aggression but was in truth sheer happiness for one of Teddington’s most popular and hard-working players, it was Bash’s second goal in 24 games, and – after Ale’s crucial goal at Fleet last week – the second time in successive games that a valued squad member has enjoyed a hugely welcome return to the goals column.
Four minutes later, 4-3 became 5-3. Set up by Amy’s muscular intervention and superbly-weighted lay-off, Em danced past the two centre-backs and calmly slotted home. Her tenth goal of the season completed her second hat-trick of 2016 – she bagged one in the March mullering of Abbey Rangers. (She’s also claimed the metaphorical match-ball against Caterham Pumas, Colne Valley (4) and Molesey Juniors (5)). Talented on the ball and committed without it, Emily is flourishing in a variety of forward roles and getting the rewards her talent deserves.
Also among the goals this season is Doddsy, and she didn’t miss twice. Sent through with two minutes to go, she ran from the halfway line and took just two touches to end the match. First she chested the bouncing ball in front of her, then from the edge of the box she larruped it past a helpless goalkeeper for her eighth of the season. Like Emily, she is already well past last season’s goal return and more than halfway to beating her haul from two seasons ago. Boz is also more than halfway past her total from last season, while Bash has already matched her personal best...
A word, too, for the back four (or six). The coaches all know from personal experience that a defender’s lot is a tough one, rarely examined except in criticism, and the Teddington defence will surely admit that this was not their finest day. But when things went badly, they dug in and shored up. Let it not go unnoticed that Doddsy’s game-ending goal was created by a through-ball from Coffee, winning a 50/50 challenge that left her flattened on the floor, picking herself up in time to join in the celebrations.
Such determination is a good part of the reason that Teddington have now gone four games unbeaten – and as they haven’t gone five undefeated since late 2014, that’s evidence of a growing self-belief. Consistency would be nice – this is still a squad capable of matching Wimbledon yet capitulating by conceding three goals in 15 minutes to a 10-girl team at the bottom of the league – but they are regularly finding ways to get results.
That would be a useful knack to carry into a January fixture list involving league games against Fleet and Abbey (their rivals in a three-team mini-league competing for third place behind leading duo Wimbledon and Maidenhead) plus a mouth-watering Surrey Cup semi-final against Abbey again. If they play to their capacity, Teddington are capable of winning them all and setting up a very pleasant 2017.
TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC Ruby Rudkin, Anna Kauffmann, Hannah Hutchison, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Amy Hallett, Carla Novakovic, Ella Bothamley (1), Emily Coulson (3), Millie MacEacharn, Ale Fairn. Subs Ella Dodd (1), Emily Bashford (1), Liz Kriebel.
Thanks to David T for the pictures.
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