Sun 9 Mar: Colne Valley Blues (A) W 2-0

"Two-nil is a dangerous scoreline," said the TV commentator. "Yeah," chuckled his sidekick pundit, "but it's better than some of the alternatives…"

Compared to some of the alternative scorelines posted by Teddington Athletic's U12 Girls team this season, 2-0 may not be that impressive. But this was a fascinating learning experience for the entire squad.

Given a complete squad to pick from, manager Dave W chose to rest Ella V – "the trouble with being the manager's daughter", as the gaffer grinned – before benignly handing over the management duties to his assistant. With Dave promising to stay quiet – mainly – and Gary warning the girls beforehand that he would largely leave them to make their own decisions in play, it made for a curiously quiet experience – but one which will have done the girls good.

The starting line-up was a mixture of experience and experiment. Back in her No.10 role, Emily Coulson was typically composed behind front-runner Ale Fairn, and it was that combination which broke the deadlock after just four minutes, Emily slipping Ale through and the striker sending the ball in off the left post.

In front of farewelling goalkeeper Charlotte Ward, back in defensive harness were Millie Theobald and Saskia Brewster, perhaps the team's most regular defensive pairing over the course of the season. The same couldn't be said for the central midfield combination of Ella Parkinson-Mearns and Millie MacEacharn, but the two went about their business with relish.

Millie Mac continued to build her budding on-field relationship with left-side partner Sinead Morris, who was her usual dashing self; to her right, the increasingly calm in possession Parky set about establishing a similar understanding with Amy Hallett – or whoever happened to be playing wide right.

For Teddington had plenty of options with four subs to call on, and two of them combined to create the other biggest chance of the half. Intelligent as ever, Phoebe Head had heeded the advice about the option of playing the ball into the space in front of a team-mate and sent Sadie Day speeding through, but the ever-improving Sadie didn't quite manage to double the lead.

After the break, Ruby Rudkin and Sophie Wallman added enthusiasm in midfield, and the deputising assistant gave players more experience in new roles. (During one five-minute period, adapting to ongoing substitutions, Amy played in all three front-running positions.) Guesting on the left wing for portions of the second half were Millie Mac and, toward the end, Saskia.

Such switches may have seemed slightly arbitrary – certainly Sinead and Phoebe were understandably unimpressed to be withheld from active duty – but they allowed the girls to get more experience in different roles. The aim is to get all players comfortable in possession, diligent in their own half and dangerous in the opposition's. Next season may bring tougher challenges, requiring more flexibility in formation and play.

One such switch reaped rewards halfway through the second half. Amy had been moved wide left, the better to cut inside onto her stronger foot, and it was when doing so that she found substitute striker Phoebe, who beat the defender to tuck the ball home.

In their 18 games, Teddington's young girls have displayed enormous enthusiasm and a winning willingness to learn. Six months and one day after their debut game, their first-ever season ended as it started, with a confident victory to nil in the sunshine at someone else's ground.

In between, they have learned a lot, and will hopefully continue to do so for a long time yet. Whatever happens in the post-season friendlies and tour, these girls will be able to say that they went a full league season unbeaten, invincible and winning every single game.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC (2-2-3-1): Charlotte Ward; Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster; Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Millie MacEacharn; Amy Hallett, Emily Coulson, Sinead Morris; Ale Fairn (1). Subs Sadie Day, Sophie Wallman, Ruby Rudkin, Phoebe Head (1). Kenyngton Manor; bright sunshine.

Thanks for reading!

Sun 2 Mar: Colne Valley Blues (H) W 8-1

"I've had boos and whistles my whole career," says Luis Suarez in the new issue of FourFourTwo - available from all good newsagents and some frankly awful ones. "It's their way of intimidating you to make you feel uncomfortable, but the more you boo me, the more you motivate me."

Teddington Athletic have deserved nothing but praise for a debut season which has seen then win every game with sparkling football and smiling faces – but it seems not everybody is as gracious as the girls are graceful, judging by some comments from the visiting fans on Sunday. TAFC's coaching staff have gone through the correct procedures to make sure it doesn't happen again, but that's not for the players to worry about. All they need to know is that any negative comments they may hear are born of fear.

A pleasant family club who can't be blamed for (but must keep in check) some unfortunate followers, Colne Valley were the latest to fall to Teddington's team-play. It took just five minutes for them to score, and again it was returning striker Ale Fairn who nipped in at the far post to finish after the Colne goalkeeper didn't quite collect Phoebe Head's testing right-wing cross.

The second goal came in similar fashion: Phoebe tore down the right and looked up to see Ale and Sinead Morris bursting into the middle. Phoebe's gorgeous cross could have found either of them but it was Sinead who applied the finish.

Two minutes later, Phoebe turned from maker to taker as Sinead returned the favour, passing intelligently to her fellow winger, Phoebe placing the ball calmly into the bottom right corner for 3-0 after barely a quarter of an hour.

Sinead had been fed by Ella V, dominating the game from her new position. The absence of Emily Coulson allowed for a tactical tweak; while retaining the attacking trident that has torn up the division and the bold back two that allows for so much spatial domination in front of them, Teddington's management team inverted the usual midfield triangle: instead of the two central midfielders sitting behind Emily's "No.10" slot, they played in front of Ella V,  patrolling between the midfield and defence. 

It's an interesting formation which may be used more in next season's higher-level campaign. Not only does it mean "Jelly" can drop into the back line when needed, it also gives her a good view of the play unfolding before her – and gives her two fellow midfielders more licence to scamper forward in what can effectively become a fearsome front five.  

On this occasion, with Emily unavailable and Ruby Rudkin rested to avoid risking a questionable shoulder ahead of her rugby trail this Friday, the central midfielders were Sophie Wallman and Millie MacEacharn. Sophie was her usual ball of committed energy, dashing about wherever needed, while Millie Mac continued her own development into an increasingly calm presence on the ball, dovetailing particularly well with Sinead in a left-wing flurry of ponytails. 

Indeed, Sinead was starting to enjoy herself, despite being on the wing with the mouthy visitors. Shortly after one of them had bellowed that Colne should "show some strenf", she did exactly that by flattening an opponent with a perfectly fair shoulder-charge; a minute later, she set up Ale for another left-foot finish into the bottom-right corner. 4-0.  

By then, Phoebe had winced off the field with a shoulder injury, giving sub Sadie Day the chance to display her determination and increasing skills. But it was Sinead again who made it five, following up her own shot from a Jelly long throw and pouncing on the rebound.  

And Sinead it was who continued the demolition early in the second half. Beating four players and putting it in the bottom-right corner made it 6-0, then came notice that Teddington are still learning lessons.

Last week's cup defeat to Wimbledon highlighted the potential of the occasional early pass forward: not a hopeful punt, but a weighted through-ball into the space in front of an alert flyer. And that's exactly what Jelly did, dissecting the defence with a quick free-kick which Sinead confidently finished for her fourth.

It's the kind of sharp-witted goal that might decide a few games in Teddington's favour next season, but here discretion demanded a different course. Again, the Athletic management told their girls to stop picking up loose opposition goal-kicks – another source of several goals this season – and again, they started to substitute players and diminish their number to make the game a fairer battle. (Although Sinead took some convincing that four goals was a big enough personal haul…)

With Ale, Sinead and Phoebe substituted, and Emily, Ruby and Amy Hallett unavailable, Teddington now had their top six scorers off the field – 115 goals' worth of talent over the course of this season – but such is the depth of the squad, it didn't stop them. And it was the next highest scorer, Ella V, who marched forward to make it 8-0, romping through and finishing in that bottom-right corner one more time. 

Satisfied with her goal and subsequent celebration, Jelly then switched to goalkeeping duties, allowing Charlotte Ward a run up front. Alongside Sophie and Sadie behind her was sub Ella Parkinson-Mearns, enjoying another foray in midfield as defenders Saskia Brewster and Millie Theobald started their first game together in nearly three months. Only in the final minute did this combative line-up, short of experience and two girls fewer than their opponents, concede a goal – prompting a sigh from manager Dave W and personal apologies from Parky and Sas.

Such is the quest for progress that marks out Teddington as a team that will continue to evolve and improve. It might not be to everybody's taste, but you don't have to be. Ask Luis Suarez. 

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC (2-3-3) Charlotte Ward; Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster; Ella V (1), Sophie Wallman, Millie MacEacharn; Sinead Morris (4), Ale Fairn (2), Phoebe Head (1). Subs Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Sadie Day. Teddington Cricket Club; bright and breezy.