Up Next: Abbey Rangers (H)

After five straight victories – albeit one by default when Caterham sadly couldn't rustle up a team – in a six-team league, Teddington go back to the beginning with another game against Abbey Rangers.

Abbey faced Teddington on the opening Sunday and may have been slightly surprised to have lost 9-0. They then lost 3-0 at home to Kempton Girls, but won their first away game 3-2 at Colne Valley and crushed Guildford Saints 10-0 before falling 5-1 at Caterham last time out. They have proven themselves capable of winning, and Teddington will need to make sure they don't fall into the trap of complacency.

It's a 10am kick-off. Girls should be there by 9.20am please, and we will also need some help (at 9.10am) to put the goals up – plus an assistant referee (linesman in old money, but could be a lineswoman). With Sadie and Millie Mac unavailable, and Ella Parky struggling with the wrist injury picked up at Guildford, the squad is: Charlotte, Emily (captain), Millie T, Saskia, Ella V, Sophie, Amy, Ruby, Ale, Phoebe, Sinead.

(Note: the Teddington Athletic U13 Girls are playing immediately after us, probably on the same pitch or the one next to it. It would be nice to stick around and watch the older girls, as we are trying to forge stronger bonds with TAFC's only other female team, not least as we may in future be going on tours with them. Check out their new blog at teddingtonathleticgirls.blogspot.co.uk...)

HOME AT LAST
This will be Teddington's first Bushy Park fixture at our home ground, Teddington Cricket Club. The name explains the late start to hosting duties: we share pitch space with the whites-wearing willow-wavers, who require a kinder surface than that created by football studs.


Interactive map: click, scroll play or click here to view larger map

It's a beautiful place to play and watch football, set in an ancient woodland turned Royal Park, with games only  occasionally interrupted by inquisitive deer. Tea, coffee and snacks are available in the clubhouse.

There is limited parking available behind the clubhouse, which is reached by car via Cobbler's Walk, off Chestnut Avenue (Bushy Park's main north-south road). If the Cricket Club car park is full, please park in the tarmac car park on Cobbler's Walk: the council are particularly keen to make money by doling out tickets to those parking on the verges.

Alternatively, there are free car parks on Dora Jordan Road, a two-minute walk to the north of the pitches. Access Dora Jordan Road via Bullard Road, off Queen's Road (B358) - click and zoom on the map above.

Sun 6 Oct at Guildford Saints: Gallery

Click a pic for larger version; you can then flick through images with arrow keys.

Your reporter. Goon.

Thanks to David Theobald for the preceding images. More! More!

Poor pic, great goal: Sadie Day bags some booty

...and Ruby finally gets her just reward

And finally...

STAR PLAYERS IN COCKTAIL SHOCKER

Teddington Athletic stars Phoebe Head and Ella V were sensationally photographed indulging in cocktails - just hours before the crunch game at Guildford.

The photograph, supplied to the blog by a concerned relative, shows the young role models grinning for the camera as they slurp down the cocktails at Teddington restaurant Moidul's on Saturday night.

Teddington Athletic manager Dave W was unmoved by the blog's revelations about his players. "Moidul's is great, mate," he said. "A fantastic range of food at wonderful prices. I heartily recommend it."

Jack Wilshere was unavailable for comment.

Sun 6 Oct: Guildford Saints (A) W 20-1

If history is written by the victors, Teddington Athletic are certainly stocking up on the stationery. Sunday's trip to Guildford Saints brought up a record-breaking score as the girls rattled in 20 goals with a sole effort in reply. 

Even without one of their leading scorers in Sinead Morris and key creative player Emily Coulson, the exciting league leaders were simply too strong for the brave Saints. 

Bazinga! A flying Phoebe strikes in the first half 

In the pleasant campus environs of the Surrey Sports Park, freshers were milling around, signing up for societies they may soon regret. No such worries for Teddington's youngsters. Each member of Dave W's squad is enjoying herself, with time on pitch being shared equitably among the players. 

At Guildford, some of the less experienced players got their chance to shine. True, much of Teddington's play in the first half went through top scorer Phoebe Head on the right wing, but that was frequently the result of constructive midfield play from increasingly confident team-mates.

Parky gets stuck in

For instance, right-back Ella Parkinson-Mearns - the latest birthday-anointed temporary captain - has turned from a safety-first line-clearer into a genuinely creative defender, looking up to see where the pass is and whether she can set up an attack. With Phoebe - and, later, other players on the right wing - making intelligent little moves into pockets of space, the right-back got three or four assists as Teddington inexorably turned determined defence into threatening attack.  

That's a fundamental tenet of Teddington's footballing philosophy: pass and move. Whereas earlier in the season, some might have employed the playground mentality of the head-down charge, each member of the team is being encouraged to pass and move - with results looking increasingly promising, and in this instance, devastating. Although Guildford's players were a credit to their manager and club, and never gave up, they simply couldn't cope with the enthusiastic waves of Teddington terrors determined to get in amongst them.

Millie Mac and Sadie take the game to Guildford 

For although the league may not recognise winning margins wider than eight goals, kids do. There wasn't a trace of malice in Teddington as they went for more and more goals, only a joy of the game. Phoebe had got the scoring under way after nine minutes, and went on to score three more despite spending much of the second half on the side after jarring her troublesome right knee. 

Top scorer of the day was the increasingly impressive Amy Hallett. Starting in central midfield alongside Ruby Rudkin, Amy later replaced Phoebe on the right wing and ended up bagging a merciless five goals.

All hail Hallett the Mallet!

Many of them were aided by the selfless and intelligent work of Ale Fairn up front. Working the width of the pitch while wary of the line that separates offside from onside, Ale was always available for those passes pushed out of defence – and always happy to pass it on again to her counter-attacking team-mates. Showing increasing calmness in front of goal, Ale bagged the hat-trick she richly deserved, before also hobbling off after an accidental whack on the ankle. 

Ale Fairn spreads the ball wide, under Dave's watchful eye

Also recording a treble was Ella V, who replaced her good friend Phoebe on the right wing, scored a hat-trick within seven minutes and quickly found herself substituted again. By that time manager Dave was giving as much game time as possible to the less experienced members of the squad, and they rewarded him by dominating the game and pressing incessantly for goals. Instead of looking for one or two go-to players, the girls passed and moved – and scored, and scored, and scored. Even when nobody bar the diligent was quite sure how many goals had gone in, the girls wouldn’t stop attacking.

Any time the ball got into the Teddington half, it was quickly and confidently dealt with by centre-back Millie Theobald and increasingly confident left-back Saskia Brewster, recycling the ball to team-mates before resuming their conversation and trying to maintain contact with goalkeeper Charlotte Ward, who was again unlucky not to keep a clean sheet. 

Millie T and Saskia: "Anyway, so she said to me..."

With Amy a constant threat from the right and Sophie Wallman and Sadie Day controlling the centre, Millie MacEacharn came in off the left wing to score for the second successive Sunday. Sadie got her own account off the mark with a calm side-foot finish into the corner, before herself limping off with another accidental knock. Skipper Ella PM, pushed up front while she nursed a wrist injury, also finished off a team move before retiring to the sidelines. 

Having spent the first half desperate to score in front of visiting relatives, and disappointed to be substituted at half-time (while understanding the managerial motives behind rotating the midfielders), Ruby rejoined the action and scored a couple of quick goals to prompt the widest smile of the day. 

A well-deserved post-match sit-down

Guildford were gracious hosts, and their determination is to be lauded. After the game, as Teddington's remaining uninjured players warmed down, the Guildford girls were back on the pitch going through drills, listening to the advice being passed down to them. That's what kids' football should be about, and now Teddington are taking on board the advice about passing and moving for each other, they may be very hard indeed to stop.   

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC (3-4-1): Charlotte Ward; Ella Parkinson-Mearns (1), Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster; Phoebe Head (4), Amy Hallett (5), Ruby Rudkin (2), Sophie Wallman; Ale Fairn (3). Subs: Ella V (3), Sadie Day (1), Millie MacEacharn (1)

2.30pm, Surrey Sports Park, Richard Meyjes Rd, Guildford GU2 7AD

For more images, please see the gallery; for fixtures, results and scorers, see the stats page

Up next: Guildford Saints (A)

Up next for Teddington Athletic, on Sun 6 Oct, is a trip to Guildford Saints – founded in 1983 "with an ethos of providing the opportunity for players of all abilities to play football", according to their pleasingly-designed website GuildfordSaints.org.

The game is a 2.30pm kick-off - unusually late, but we've agreed to it, let's play football - at Surrey Sports Park, Richard Meyjes Road, Guildford - satnav GU2 7XX. It's a 35-minute drive from Teddington (let us know if you need lift-shares) and girls should meet there BEFORE 2pm please.

View Larger Map

The referee will be Chloe Hobson, on the pitch at the top of the hill to the right of the Surrey Sports Park building. Car parking is available and it is "usually advisable," says the helpful Saints contact, "to use the overflow car park half way up the hill." There's a Starbucks inside the Surrey Sports Park building, for those who crave caffeine and croissants. (Mine's a tea, milk but no sugar, thanks.)

We're taking three subs this week. Sinead and Emily are rested, with Millie T, Sophie and Phoebe returning, so the squad is:

Charlotte

Ella PM (birthday girl and captain)

Ella V

Saskia

Millie T

Millie Mac

Sadie

Amy

Sophie

Ruby

Phoebe

Ale

As for the opposition, Saints finished bottom of the league last year and haven't started too well this year either, with the PrawnSandwich website registering two home losses, 4-1 to Colne Valley and 8-0 to Caterham Pumas; furthermore, although it's not yet appeared on PrawnSandwich, the Surrey County Women & Girls League website has recorded a further 10-0 loss for Saints at Abbey Rangers last weekend.

It's regrettable that the League website registered that score, as the official guidance is to keep reported scores down to a maximum eight-goal margin - an ethos Teddington Athletic are only to happy to share. Especially at this level, football shouldn't be about results but enjoyment and improvement.

A fine example of that determination came in Teddington's opening game at Abbey Rangers. With the visitors having racked up half-a-dozen first-half goals, a worried delegation came over from the home team. "You don't want to stop when you get to eight, do you?" asked an Abbey parent/helper, slightly confused by the wording of the league suggestion. "Because we'd rather play on, for the experience."

Every league table has a top team and a bottom team, and your reporter has experienced both. Between the ages of 11 and 13 I was in a team that regularly conceded double figures, including on one memorable occasion losing 36-0. We didn't like the results, but we loved playing, and the opportunity to keep playing the game we adored. Youth football needs to nurture that spirit, especially in the girls' game, and Teddington will go into the game at Guildford full of respect for the opposition, as footballers always should.

Sun 29 Sep: Colne Valley Blues (A) W 6-1

Usually when a member of the management picks up his cards, it means things aren't going too well for the team. Couldn't be further from the truth in this case, but your reporter (and TAFC U12G assistant manager) didn't feel that way when tearing back home for the forgotten registration cards, grateful that the opposition and referee had agreed to wait - and that Colne Valley play in relatively nearby Sunbury.

When the action did get under way, it was kick-started by Teddington's oldest registered player. Having just reached the grand old age of 12, Sinead Morris was captain for the day and turned in her usual effervescent performance, opening the scoring after seven minutes by racing through and firing past the stranded Colne goalkeeper.

Sinead Morris acknowledges her opening goal

Before too long, Teddington had doubled their lead from the penalty spot after an instinctive but definitely illegal handball. Emily Coulson kept her cool as usual to despatch the dead ball, and the visitors were truly in control.

Emily Coulson steps up to take the penalty...

...job done

A cynic might have wondered how Teddington would manage without their leading scorer Phoebe Head. Such a cynic would be answered in style. Adaptable players, a team spirit and a strong squad have put Dave W's team deservedly top of the league, and on this occasion they never looked like surrendering the lead in the game or the table.

In Phoebe's absence, Ale Fairn again led the line with diligence and intelligence. A quiet but thoughtful figure, Ale asks astute questions of her management team and is starting to ask difficult ones of the defenders tasked with marking her.

Foot on the ball: Sinead looks to start again

As expected, Ale was ably abetted by Sinead's forward runs, this time from central midfield, where the birthday girl was partnered by the increasingly tactically aware Emily. With tiny but mighty right-winger Amy Hallett combining defensive grit and attacking penetration, Teddington were flying at Colne from all angles and only an inspired goalkeeping performance kept the score down to 3-0 at half-time, after Millie MacEacharn - pushed forward to the left of midfield after last week's encouraging debut at left-back - put the result beyond reasonable doubt with a close-range finish from a corner.

And it was from a corner that Teddington started the second-half scoring... straight from a corner. Ella V, making her first appearance of the season, crowned a commanding performance by managing to get on the scoresheet direct from the quadrant. A fine corner-taker with a dangerous long throw and a fine scowl for any team-mates not listening to her positional instructions, Ella gave a fine performance at centre-back.

Nope, this one didn't go in

To her right, Ella Parkinson-Mearns again demonstrated her longstanding relish for the tackle and increasing appetite for construction in possession, while on the other side the returning Saskia Brewster looked like she'd never played anywhere but left-back, calmly cutting out through-balls and starting counterattacks with cleverly controlled through-balls. Quickly maturing into a fine player, Saskia switched into the centre of defence toward the end of the game when Ella V moved forward into midfield.

...nor this one

By that point Teddington were 6-0 up; even the continuously impressive home goalkeeper couldn't prevent Sinead doubling her tally with a fine first-time finish into the corner, or half-time sub Ruby - again a pleasingly dominant presence in midfield - getting her second goal in consecutive games.

...or this one

All that remained was to keep a clean sheet, but that didn't quite happen when a last-minute hit-and-hope forward found its way past Charlotte Ward. That's a pity for the visibly annoyed goalkeeper, who was impressive when called upon and unlucky with the goal - but her desire to keep improving is a fine message to the rest of the group, as was Sadie Day's determination to play on after receiving a whack to the head.

Having dealt their opponents several blows, Teddington played well without ever really hitting the heights that they are surely capable of. Impressive individually and keen without exception to learn more about the game, the girls will only improve that their deservedly high reputation is giving them more time on the ball than they realise, time enough to pick out a pass to a better-placed team-mate.

It's starting to happen: as on the opening day, Emily carved open the opposition with an incisive through-ball, matched in the second half by a gorgeous outside-of-the-boot pass from Sinead, worthy of her hero Thierry Henry. Each of these girls is able to beat an opponent individually, but once they get used to each others' games and start to truly play as a team, they could be frightening to behold.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Charlotte Ward; Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Ella V (1), Saskia Brewster; Amy Hallett, Emily Coulson (1p), Sinead Morris (c, 2), Millie MacEacharn (1); Ale Fairn. Subs: Ruby Rudkin (1), Sadie Day.

Up Next: Colne Valley Blues (A)

In the 2012/13 Under-11s Division One, Colne Valley Girls FC played 20 league games and won all of them, conceding just 13 and scoring what looks like an artificially-capped 99 goals.  

That side got promoted to the top flight, which meant no more awkward inter-club "derbies" against Colne Valley Girls FC Blues, who host Teddington Athletic on Sunday morning. The Blues won 4 and lost 12 of their 20 games last season, scoring 24 and conceding 53 - not a bad goals-against total considering a dozen defeats and three impressive teams at the top of the league.

This season, the Blues have won 1 and lost 2, scoring 7 and conceding 13. They bounced back from a 9-1 opening-day loss to Kempton with a 4-1 win at Guildford Saints, before a narrow 3-2 defeat at home to Abbey Rangers.

As for Teddington, they go into the game top of the league, with two well-deserved wins and a walkover. The squad is shuffled again, as it will be every week: rested this time are Phoebe, Sophie and Millie T, with Saskia and Amy returning - and Ella V able to make her first appearance of the season.

Squad: Charlotte, Ella P, Ella W, Millie Mac, Saskia, Emily, Ruby, Amy, Sadie, Sinead, Ale.

The kick-off is at 10am at Kenyngton Manor Recreation Ground, Bryony Way, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey TW16 7RH - 20 minutes from Teddington. There is a car park at the ground: enter through the gate from Bryony Way off Vicarage Road. Please be there for 9.20 for warm-up and team-talk.


View Larger Map

Finally, a big hand to Millie Mac's dad Ross for volunteering to be linesman. Not only does it help free up the manager and assistant manager for those crucial in-game tactical tête-à-têtes, it also helps you feel much more involved in the game and club.

Sun 22 Sep 2013: Kempton Girls (A) W 4-2

All you can do, the old saw says, is beat what's put in front of you. Having won their first game 10-1 and their second 3-0, Kempton Girls came into their table-topping clash against Teddington Athletic without their leading scorer. 

That's not Teddington's fault, nor is it the visitors' problem that the key player proved literally irreplaceable: Kempton played the game a girl short. 

Concentrating on their own game, Teddington continued where they had left off against Abbey Rangers a fortnight earlier: passing, moving, dribbling and scoring. Any worries that the fortnight's gap since the last game might have affected the team were soon dismissed as Teddington went ahead early on.

There was an element of fortune about the manner of Phoebe Head's opener, but it was deserved by both team and player. Having scored a hat-trick in the opening game as a striker, Phoebe adapted with elan to an attacking right-wing position as manager Dave shuffled his pack to bring in impressive forward Ale Fairn. 

Sometimes the greatest danger to a winning team comes not from the opposition but their own complacency. Having blazed into an early lead, Teddington might have thought every game was a walkover. Oppositional proof arrived when a Kempton free-kick squirmed its way under the unfortunate Charlotte Ward to level the scores.

How a team responds to its first setback can say a lot about its character and class, and it's a joy to report that Teddington soon put the game all but beyond Kempton. Phoebe scored, again from a set-piece, to regain the lead – and put the birthday-celebrating captain-for-the-day on five goals from two games – but any suspicions of over-reliance on one girl were blasted away with two goals from debutants. 

Another set-piece, another worry for Kempton 

First, ever-willing front-runner Ale tigerishly chased down a terrified defence to force home what might be the first of many for the talented left-footer. Not long after, midfield marauder Ruby Rudkin motored forward and caused chaos in the Kempton defence, eventually nodding a half-clearance over the line from short range.  

Ruby becoming Teddington's sixth different goalscorer in two games gives some indication of the squad's impressive depth, and manager Dave W was able to bring on yet more players. Having impressed out wide in the win at Abbey Rangers, Sophie Wallman again displayed tireless tenacity in the middle of the park, while her fellow sub Sadie Day also enjoyed the midfield battle.

Phoebe attacks down the right once again

They had come on to rest two goalscorers from the Abbey game: the elegant Emily Coulson and energetic Sinead Morris, whose urgent desire to get involved saw her popping up everywhere across the pitch despite an official posting on the left flank. A winning combination of tirelessness and talent, Sinead came back on as a central midfielder and manager Dave may well ponder playing her in a more central role in future games - especially considering she plays all across the pitch anyway…

The front four combined commitment with occasional lack of discipline, sometimes falling foul of keeping their heads down rather than looking up for a team-mate: dribbling beats the weak teams, but enough passing and movement can beat any team. 

Behind them, the defence was again a well-balanced, functional unit. On the right, Ella Parkinson-Mearns again displayed a fearless desire for the tackle and an increasing attacking awareness. In the middle, Millie Theobald - a player so well-balanced that when asked in training which foot she preferred to kick with, responded with a quizzical "no idea" - organised her back-line impeccably.

Second-half action as Teddington push Kempton back

At left-back, in for the impressive Saskia Brewster, was another debutant Millie MacEacharn. Naturally shy, Millie Mac quietly takes on board everything that is explained to her, whether it's a mid-match positional prompting from Millie T or a technique learned in training: coach Tim's Thursday-night work on dragbacks couldn't have worked better than when Millie Mac cut out a Kempton attack, turned two players and set in motion a Teddington counter-offensive in one beautifully smooth move.

Kempton deserve much credit. A girl down against league leaders making several substitutions to keep fresh, they refused to give up and reduced the arrears with the only goal of the second half. But it's to Teddington's credit that they neither panicked nor conceded again, with goalkeeper Charlotte looking big and strong, and distributing the ball well with a mix of kicks and throws to start attacks. 

These two sides will meet again on at least another two occasions, and Kempton may be much tougher to beat next time. But the Teddington team - and squad - can look forward to many more happy Sundays if they continue to play to their potential.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Charlotte Ward; Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Millie Theobald, Millie MacEacharn; Phoebe Head (c) (2); Emily Coulson, Ruby Rudkin (1), Sinead Morris; Ale Fairn (1). Subs: Sophie Wallman, Sadie Day.

Thanks to Ferg MacEacharn for the filming