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.