After hard work against Wimbledon, half-measures against Hampton. Sharing the spoils with the league leaders had shown Teddington's potential; this week, although they beat the freshly-promoted side, they amply illustrated their own capacity for disappointment.
Hampton have had a mixed season. While heavy defeats to Wimbledon (twice), Maidenhead and Abbey are perhaps unsurprising for a team adapting to the higher level, the coaching staff will have been disappointed to lose 2-1 at home to fellow promoted side Carshalton, especially only a fortnight after beating them in the Surrey Cup. Two wins against Crystal Palace (the first a walkover) meant they came to Udney Park just two points behind Teddington, whose first eight games have been similarly mixed.
It has been pointed out to Teddington's girls that their performances are usually predicted by their attitude during match preparations. Having been calmly determined before Wimbledon, they duly played well and might have even beaten the leaders. So it was galling for manager Dave Waldron to have his immediate pre-match pep-talk truncated by an outbreak of whispering and giggling by some of the girls.
Such rude indifference was especially bewildering given the starting XI carried a number of changes – and not all through choice. With Ruby Rudkin away, there had been much discussion over who might don the goalkeeper's gloves; in the end Dave chose Ella Dodd, a commanding physical presence with rugby-bred experience of ball-handling and an increasing maturity reflected in her willingness to take responsibility.
That meant Ale Fairn leading the line, and there was a change behind her as Millie MacEacharn was given a well-earned start on the left; Emily Coulson switched centrally, with Ella Bothamley on the right and Giulia Clini rested to the bench alongside Emily Bashford and Anna Kauffmann, with Amy Hallett at right-back. Hannah Hutchison, Millie Theobald and Saskia Brewster completed the defence, with Carla Novakovic and Liz Kriebel anchoring the midfield.
Doddsy accepted her new position in typical fashion – with a self-deprecating smile and a slight worry quickly erased by determination. She was tested within the first couple of minutes, haring off her line to clear a through-ball to safety, but she was as glad as her team-mates when Teddington took the lead after five minutes.
The home side had already been probing down the right through Boz, and she soon found her mark with her second cross of the day, which left the stand-in goalkeeper stranded on the near post. Either Ale or Macca might have turned it in, but when Hampton managed to clear to the edge of the box, Carla calmly sidefooted it into the far side of the empty goal.
That might have quietened a weak team, but Hampton have some dangerous players, particularly their two speedy wingers. Amy wasn't having a quiet adaptation to the right-back role but was certainly proving her worth, twice getting back to cover behind her centre-backs – the first time with Sas also mopping up from the other wing, the second time alone.
By that point, Hampton were level with an impressive goal. Sweeping down their right flank, the winger had picked out an excellent cross to the edge of the six-yard box for the striker to rise and nod past Doddsy.
So if Teddington thought this would be a cakewalk against relegation candidates, they were very much mistaken, and they took a good while to rouse from their slumber during a first half in which Hampton might well have taken the lead. Just before the half-hour, Doddsy raced out to make a clearance but only succeeded in smashing the ball into Sas's windpipe, and while the left-back crumpled Hampton almost made hay, again firing across the six-yard box from the right but this time unable to add the finishing touch.
Served a warning, the home team started to get more of a grip. Carla had a shot saved by the goalkeeper, whose miskicked clearance almost fell for Ale to capitalise, before Liz's shot from distance flew just wide. Having possession without penetration, Teddington needed to think outside the box.
Such lateral nous came from Boz, six minutes before the break, when a Hampton goal kick bounced out in front of her, around 30 yards out on the wing. Many players might have sought to control and cross the ball, but Boz cut out the middleman by simply leathering it over the goalkeeper and into the net for her fourth goal in her last six appearances. Dave called it as soon as it left her boot, but it did little to improve the manager's mood after a lifeless first half.
Thus came a triple substitution at the break. Doddsy went up top for the departing Ale, with Liz donning the gloves, Amy moving into midfield and Coffee coming on in her usual role. Bash gave Boz a rest, while Giulia replaced Macca, Em switching to the left.
The changes – and something of a half-time heart-to-heart – almost brought immediate effect when Doddsy tore through but her shot was blocked by the despairing foot of the goalkeeper. In the 50th minute, though, Teddington did extend their lead. Giulia had had the ball at her feet but not quite passed the ball early enough to release the forwards; noting this and the advice from the touchline, Carla then dinked a little ball over the top for Doddsy and Bash to run on to. Doddsy initially deferred to Bash, then decided to take control and slotted past the goalkeeper.
Again Hampton might have hit back but when the right-winger drove in form the right and get her shot on target, Liz was relieved to grab hold of the ball. And in the 67th minute Teddington went 4-1 in front from the spot, after Carla was adjudged to have been tripped (much to the chagrin of Hampton's amiable coaches).
Curiously, nobody wanted to take the free shot from 12 yards, until Doddsy was pressed into service and did the deed. The same lack of leadership and nettle-grasping had been evident earlier when Teddington won a corner and, with Liz in goal and Boz still on the bench (she replaced Emily immediately after the penalty), stared blankly at each other waiting for someone to take the initiative and the corner.
These things may seem almost amusing but they can betray a lack of responsibility among the girls, and such listlessness might have been punished. Having gone 4-1 down, Hampton took just two minutes to strike back when a good looping shot from distance deceived Liz, and another two minutes later they might have scored again when a dangerous diagonal through-ball found Liz mystifyingly back-pedalling instead of coming out, requiring Millie T to sprint back and tidy up. Had Hampton made it 4-3 with nine minutes to go, it's very possible they might have found an equaliser, and Teddington wouldn't have been too entitled to complain.
As it is, Teddington won 4-2, recording their third league win of the season and their first in five attempts. Those five games have contained a kaleidoscopic array of displays, from the promising performances against Wimbledon and Abbey to the downright disappointing against Hampton, with some matches showing both sides in the same game (like the domination of Maidenhead in the first half followed by meek collapse thereafter). After five successive home games, the girls now face two tough trips, to Fleet in the Cup and Maidenhead in the league. Each team will be difficult enough to beat without Teddington making it harder for themselves.
Thanks to Catherine for the pics this week; as usual, more after the table
