With 22-goal winger Phoebe Head unavailable and front-runner Ale Fairn nursing a sore Achilles, manager Dave W was again able to shuffle his pack and beat the opposition: Teddington's squad is a self-replenishing box of delights, and every team change allows new partnerships to develop.
For instance, wide on the right in Phoebe's absence, Sadie Day continued her impressive development, ever willing to run into the space and seek team-mates. Just inside her as part of the midfield triangle, Sophie Wallman scuttled purposefully about, making tackles and interceptions and recycling the ball wide to her friend Sadie.
On the other side of midfield, Millie MacEacharn put in her usual diligent shift, tidying up and tucking in behind Sinead Morris, as her manager had requested. As for Sinead, she seemed somewhat shot-shy: possibly short of confidence despite her dad's £5 goal bonus scheme; possibly carrying an ankle injury – despite her denials, she was walking awkwardly and was withdrawn after completing the hat-trick that draws her level with Phoebe atop the goal charts.
Plucky Amy Hallett again filled in at centre-forward, despite cheerfully admitting she'd much rather play on the wing. Behind her in the No.10 slot, Emily Coulson wasn't quite her effervescent self, and was willingly substituted at half-time with the game won, but it's to her credit that she scored the first two goals to set Athletic on their way.
The first, on eight minutes, arrived after Amy's pressure on the goalkeeper produced a panicked clearance, quickly picked up and despatched by Emily. Two minutes later, good work on the left from Millie Mac allowed Emily to finish from distance. And eight minutes after that, Sinead pounced on a loose goal kick to slot home the third.
Teddington's alert attackers have profited many times this season from gobbling up such incomplete clearances - so much so that after that third goal, the management staff told their players to stand off – there's no point crushing teams with one move, especially when tougher opponents to come will presumably clear their lines more effectively – and effectively allow Guildford to clear the ball, in order to get more match practice at winning the ball back in midfield.
Four minutes later, Sophie won the ball back in midfield and fed Amy, whose shot was parried to Sinead for a 4-0 half-time lead.
At the break, manager Dave W made some changes. Saskia Brewster, making her first appearance in six weeks in her usual untroubled style, was replaced in defence by Millie Theobald, who would go on to become unusually involved in some corner set-pieces. Allowing for further partnership development, each girl spent some time alongside Ella Parkinson-Mearns, also enjoying her return to the fray after an illness.
And it was in defence where the fifth and sixth goals began. Goalkeeper Charlotte Ward, who would go on to rack up a second successive clean sheet – something the free-scoring Athletic hadn't thus far managed – started a counter-attack with an intelligent early balk to Sinead, whose surging run ended in a shot well parried, but only as far as half-time substitute Ruby Rudkin who calmly finished for 5-0.
The sixth was even better. Finding herself being chased toward her own corner, Millie T refused to panic, instead crisply passing to her covering sidekick Parky, who found Ruby ahead of her in midfield. Taking the time to look up, Ruby spread a lovely diagonal ball forward to that opposite wing where Sinead burst past the defence and confidently completed her hat-trick - and her work for the day, manager Dave immediately subbing her to protect that ankle.
In her place, on came… nobody. Guildford had turned up with the full complement for 9-a-side, but Teddington's management had no real intention of repeating the previous 20-1 scoreline between the teams, perhaps damaging the confidence of willing young footballers. Instead, and with Guildford's grateful agreement, Teddington started to reduce their numbers at half-time, making it harder for the girls left on the pitch. By the end they were down to six, still scoring, still learning, but not demolishing their opponents' love of the game.
Thinner in numbers but steely in determination, Teddington still managed to get to the ball first more often than not. Millie Mac made it seven (and four for her this season) by intercepting a goal-kick and sending it back first-time into the net, while Ruby would complete the scoring - and her hat-trick - in a similar way, having made it eight by turning home an Ella V cross after a clever one-two with Millie T.
And so it's 17 straight wins for Teddington, now clearly working on tactical tweaks and polishes ahead of the Cup semi-final with Premier League leaders AFC Wimbledon in late February. Before that there are league games with Abbey Rangers, Guildford again and Kempton Girls, all of whom can expect to face a side determined to get even better.
