Sun 8 May: AFC Wimbledon 3-2 Teddington Athletic

On a hot day in May, Teddington finished off a fascinating first 11-a-side season with another trip to AFC Wimbledon. A win would mean a fourth-placed finish to match last season’s debut top-flight campaign; anything else would mean fifth.

The only change from the previous game was up top, where Ella Dodd replaced Ale Fairn. So goalkeeper Ruby Rudkin started behind a back four of Anna Kauffmann, Ella Waldron, Millie Theobald and Saskia Brewster protected by Amy Hallett, while Emily Coulson and Liz Kriebel patrolled midfield between Ella Bothamley on the right and Phoebe Head on the left. A strong bench of Ale, Emily Bashford, Carla Novakovic, Millie MacEacharn and Sadie Day would all be called into action.

The hosts rustled the net in the second minute from an offside position, but the officials couldn’t save the visitors soon after when the Dons’ first corner produced a goal. As hasn’t always happened, Teddington managed to repel the initial cross but the clearance fell to an unmarked player on the edge of the box who drove low under Ruby.

Teddington shuffled their pack, with Boz and Doddsy rotated for Ale and the increasingly impressive Sadie, who showed some confident touches in what turned out to be a 10-minute cameo cut short by a knock to the hip. She was covered by the solid Macca on the right, and by then Bash was terrifying Wimbledon from the left.

Within a minute of her entrance Bash had torn through the defence but lacked the support needed to finish the chance she’d created – and just before the break she burst through again, but neither she nor the willingly-supporting Ale could convert the chance.

That turned out to be Ale’s last input, her day cut short at the half by a foot injury. She was replaced by Doddsy, while the ill Anna was replaced at right-back by Carla.

Not for the first time, Teddington conceded again from a corner, this one nodded over the line from a yard. Having given themselves a mountain to climb, the visitors picked up their icepicks and crampons and set off: Bash shot just wide of the post, then Doddsy knocked on a falling through-ball with the outside of her right heel before running on to her own flick and firing just wide from the edge of the area.

So it was no real surprise when Teddington reduced the arrears after 11 minutes of the second period. Pushing forward from midfield, Emily laid a great ball to Liz, who used her strength to create space in the inside-right channel, used her guile to cut in our her left foot and used her ability to shoot from the edge of the box, with the goalkeeper only able to parry it into the roof of the net.

Still Teddington came. When Emily couldn’t find space for a shot the ball was recycled through Amy to Doddsy whose shot from the edge was well saved; clearly troubling the Dons defence, the big striker then burst on to a Jelly throw, and with Em and Boz in support she had the confidence to shoot herself – just wide of the far post.

That confidence was well-placed. The very next minute, Doddsy timed her run through the inside-right channel perfectly, latching on to a Jelly through-ball and powering it into the near top corner from the edge of the box.

Teddington had been well on top for 20 minutes, and with 16 minutes to go they scented a first-ever victory over Wimbledon – the only team they’ve played more than once without beating. Sadly, they lost concentration and immediately conceded to an old story: the ball over the top falling into the gap between defence and goalkeeper, gleefully finished by a nippy attacker. Within 30 seconds of the restart Boz was sent through by the same means, but the Wimbledon goalkeeper was rapidly off her line and alert enough to snuffle out the danger.

While continuing to seek improvement, Teddington will always look to play the game the right way. It was almost their undoing when a passing move out of defence was intercepted, but Ruby did well to save the high shot. And with Phoebe back on the pitch, there was a late flurry of chances. First Pheebs received an excellent Amy through-ball but dragged her shot just wide of the near post. Then there followed an exhilarating minute in which Phoebe burst down the left and saw a shot parried, her cross from the rebound just evaded Boz, Carla recycled the Dons’ clearance to Jelly who powered through but Emily was controversially flagged offside.

The only remaining incident of note was an entirely accidental bust nose for Millie, borne with stoical determination and a comical amount of passing up the conk. This season has been anything but a slap in the face for Teddington. True, they finished a place lower than last year; credit for that must go to the welcome newcomers Maidenhead, who have made the division more challenging while remaining thoroughly pleasant on a personal level.

Despite the positional slip, Teddington’s first 11-a-side season wasn’t a regression. The Tampa tour which dominated the agenda for so long, taking an enormous amount of effort and money from helpers too numerous to mention here, will prove to be an enormous aid to the girls’ personal and football development: gaining a new earnestness and interest in self-improvement, they have thrown themselves into multiple training sessions with a genuine desire to improve and enjoy their game. And what could be better than that?

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC (4-1-4-1): Ruby Rudkin; Anna Kauffmann, Ella Waldron, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster; Amy Hallett; Ella Bothamley, Emily Coulson, Liz Kriebel (1), Phoebe Head; Ella Dodd (1). Subs: Ale Fairn, Emily Bashford, Sadie Day, Millie MacEacharn, Carla Novakovic.

Sun 9 Apr: Teddington Athletic 1-3 AFC Wimbledon

After tropical Tampa it was back to temperate Teddington, but not back to Broom Road. This final home game of the season was staged at NPL, and from next season the girls will play at the club’s newly-leased Udney Park facilities.

Ella Dodd and Carla Novakovic forgot their boots, sending George scurrying back for them and themselves slinking to the bench. The back six was unchanged from recent games but found themselves under the cosh for the first couple of minutes: Ruby Rudkin fumbled a hopeful through-ball and AFC Wimbledon scented blood, shooting from everywhere and hitting the bar twice.

But with three minutes gone it was Teddington who opened the score. Picking up the ball on the edge of the area, Liz Kriebel found Phoebe Head ghosting in from the left. Teddington’s top scorer turned inside onto her favoured right foot, but when that shot was blocked she simply popped the rebound away left-footed.

She nearly bagged a second two minutes later, tearing on to a bouncing through ball but firing just over when pressured by the onrushing goalkeeper. So much for not enjoying playing on the left: Phoebe was, by her own admission, loving the freedom this was giving her.

Pheebs was on the left partly because the management knew she could play there even when she insisted otherwise, but also to accommodate the entirely different right-wing threat of Ella Bothamley. Fun on tour ushered Boz into a central position socially, but her footballing ability has never been in doubt: the only question has been whether to play her up top or wide right. Her crossing is arguably the best at the club, and she demonstrated it once again during a superb Teddington move that demonstrated the best of the girls’ improvements in Florida.

Passing the ball carefully out of defence by moving for each other, the team worked the bak through Emily Coulson to Boz on the right. Hitting the byeline, she sent over a peach of a cross which narrowly missed Ale Fairn’s near-post run and was just behind Phoebe at the back-stick; Pheebs collected and was just about to finish when the big centre-back recovered superbly to knock it behind.

Clearing that corner only left Wimbledon prey to another swift counter-attack, this time rather more straightforward as right-back Anna Kauffmann lofted a ball that was intended for Ale but yet again found Phoebe – who was once more foiled by the big No.16, a quietly superb centre-back. She was having to be, and she looked relieved when Phoebe switched to the right for the last 10 minutes as Carla replaced Boz and Emily Bashford came on for Ale.

All Teddington’s good work had only yielded a one-goal advantage, and that was wiped out with a controversial penalty just before the half-hour. The Dons striker dragged it back, knocked it past her marker and went over the leg. It’s later revealed by the visiting management to be the sixth penalty she’s won that way this season.

Still, the half-time team-talk was positive, as it should be considering Teddington had just had very much the upper hand against the outgoing champions. Doddsy and Boz replaced the breather-taking Liz and Phoebe, but within two minutes the home team were behind when a corner from the left deflected in off the back of a defender who didn’t jump.

Teddington wobbled a while, Wimbledon wandering in behind the defence to force a good save from Ruby. Gradually the home side worked to find a way back into the match, a high-point being an extraordinary Bash dribble: searing at the terrified defence from the halfway line, she turned them inside out three or four times but couldn’t quite find room for a shot. This likeable girl shows immense promise.

For the last 10 minutes Teddington switched to an orthodox 4-4-2, pushing Doddsy up top and sacrificing Amy’s defensive screen for Liz’s forward raids while Phoebe returned to her left-wing beat for Carla. But pushing forward brings risk and it was Wimbledon who scored again, from another avoidable defensive slip – this time an unmarked right-wing runner having the freedom of the 18-yard box to slot home.

With defeat went Teddington’s slim hopes of second or third place. Subsequent results mean that in their final game of the season, at Wimbledon, they need to win to overhaul Maidenhead and match last season’s fourth place. It would be a shame if they didn’t do it, for they are now capable of greater things than at this time last year, and they have much to look forward to.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC Ruby Rukdin, Anna Kauffmann, Ella Waldron, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Amy Hallett, Ella Bothamley, Liz Kriebel, Emily Coulson, Phoebe Head (1), Ale Fairn. Subs Carla Novakovic, Ella Dodd, Emily Bashford.