Sun 23 Apr: Carshalton Athletic (H) W 1-0 (Game 2)

After having triumphed in the day’s opening clash, Teddington set out for the second game with the same XI that finished the first game – but, with a cup final afoot, a very different set of tactical ideas.

This is neither the place nor the time to go into the details thereof, but suffice to say that some notions worked better than others. The girls have proven themselves very open to learning, and they have been carefully nurtured to think tactically; this will continue next season at Under-16 level, as the management strive to equip the girls for a lifetime in football.

Certainly they seem to enjoy themselves. After four minutes Liz had the confidence to cut back and curl a beautiful left-foot through-ball across the box to the penetrating run of Emily. The consistently good Carshalton No.12 muscled Em away from goal, but the Teddington girl had the skill and confidence to turn her and cross for Boz, who couldn’t quite turn it in with her left foot; Giulia collected the clearance but fired narrowly over.

Shortly after, Boz continued to torture the visitors, this time springing from deep with a driving run from her own half to the byline. Her cross evaded Em and Doddsy and was bundled behind for a corner - which Boz curled in for Liz to nod narrowly over.

Carshalton occasionally threatened, and on 10 minutes Teddington had something of a lucky escape when the visitors’ cross went unchallenged by home heads. Stationed in her own six-yard box, Hutch hurriedly cleared upwards and was somewhat relieved to see her kick clear the Teddington bar. A thoroughly warned and suddenly alert home team dealt with the resultant corner and kept Carshalton at bay thereafter, but Maidenhead may demand a higher level of concentration from all players.

Fresh legs, sequentially introduced around the quarter-hour, added zip and pep. Amy and Bash replaced Macca and Giulia (with Em switching inside), and Doddsy’s replacement Ale had a good half-hour run up front, linking well with team-mates.

Still, though, Teddington were having more possession than penetration. On 22 minutes Boz’s strong run won a right-wing corner, and her flag-kick flicked off the top of Emily’s head; the home side built again down the left through Em but Ale couldn’t quite reach the cross.

Just after the half-hour Emily did well to win possession from a Carshalton goal-kick but didn’t connect as cleanly as she might have liked with what became a cross-shot, evading everyone.

Trying all avenues, Teddington probed down the right through Liz, her brilliant cut-back finding Emily at the far post; this time Em connected powerfully but that impressive No.12, who had tracked her all the way back, stood her ground well to block the snapshot away. Maintaining the pressure, Teddington recycled to Liz, who tried her luck from the edge of the area – and the ball bounced in off the bottom of the right-hand post.

It had taken Teddington 34 minutes to take the lead, and they did a solid job of maintaining it. Their solidity was not weakened by a flurry of substitutions, mostly designed to give players experience in different positions: Amy reverted to right-back as Anna made way for Giulia to play in central midfield, Doddsy replaced Emily further forward, and the Carshalton left-back’s joy at seeing the back of Boz was tempered by the re-emergence of speedy Sadie. And in one final change, goalscorer Liz made way for Macca’s last few minutes in the Teddington shirt she has worn with love and distinction.

The second 1-0 win of the day made it almost certain that Teddington would finish third, a probability later made mathematical certainty with the news that Fleet had lost. Correctly congratulated by coaches and parents alike, the girls enjoyed the moment; soon they will turn their attention to a Cup final that will be difficult but not unwinnable. This has already been their finest season, and it would be lovely if it reached a deserved highpoint at Merstham FC; either way, these girls will be back, and will continue to improve.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Ruby Rudkin, Anna Kaufmann, Hannah Hutchison, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Millie MacEacharn, Liz Kriebel (1g), Ella Bothamley, Giulia Clini, Emily Coulson, Ella Dodd. Subs: Ale Fairn, Emily Bashford, Sadie Day, Amy Hallett.

More pics after the table - thanks to Catherine, and indeed all the families for your support. 

Sun 23 Apr: Carshalton Athletic (H) W 1-0 (Game 1)

After playing one game in eight weeks, Teddington faced two in two hours. A combination of Easter, postponements, withdrawals and walkovers had left the diary blank, but with the end of the season approaching and two fixtures still to fulfil against Carshalton, the teams agreed to a double-header: two successive games, each 45 minutes long (to remain within the proscribed FA maximum for the age range), each for three points.

Teddington have done this before, with some success. Last March, squeezing in games before the Florida trip, they took four points off Abbey Rangers, having blown away the Addlestone outfit with three goals in the opening half-hour; the season before, they won one and lost one against title challengers Crystal Palace.

FROM THE ARCHIVE:

22.03.15 Teddington 1-2 Palace
22.03.15 Teddington 2-1 Palace

20.03.16 Teddington 3-1 Abbey
20.03.16 Teddington 1-1 Abbey

This time around, the benefits were clear. If they could record two wins against Carshalton, they would almost certainly confirm a third-placed finish in the league – the highest-ever placement of any Teddington Athletic girls’ team.

Also bright in the mind was the thought of the Surrey League Cup Final, to be played the following Sunday against Maidenhead. The management welcomed the double-header – a chance to prepare the team tactically and also to give each player a good opportunity to stake a claim for a starting place.

The girls had already been told that nobody in a talented squad is a certainty to start the final. That initial XI will be picked not on theoretical ability but on application and effort in the training sessions. So it was that Anna Kauffmann returned at right-back for Amy Hallett, lining up alongside Hannah Hutchison, Millie Theobald and Saskia Brewster in front of Ruby Rudkin.

The sole squad absentee was Marathon-running Carla Novakovic, but that merely gave Teddington the opportunity to honour a legend of the club. Unfortunately unavailable for the cup final, Millie MacEacharn has decided not to continue with the team next season, but this quietly intelligent, fiercely dedicated and impeccably mannered girl will always be welcome at training sessions and squad gatherings. Here, she took not only Carla’s place in defensive midfield but also the captain’s armband, and typically led by fine example, tracking around diligently and showing no little ability on the ball.

Arranged in front of Macca and Liz Kriebel were Emily Coulson, Ella Dodd, Giulia Clini and Sadie Day. The latter, another ever-present at the various training sessions held over the past fortnight, represented a clear threat to Carshalton in the early exchanges with her pace and direct running.

It was however from the other side that Teddington might have gone ahead within two minutes. Displaying excellent pivot work up top, Doddsy held off her defender and released Em down the left; striding into the area, the record goalscorer hit the target but her shot had neither the power nor the accuracy to beat the goalkeeper.

That would become something of a theme for Teddington: not taking chances. It’s hardly the worst problem, but it’s one that they were clearly told could haunt them against a strong Maidenhead team who might limit opportunities. Here, the home team continued to press: winning the ball from a goal-kick, they worked it well to Liz, scuttling down towards the right-wing corner flag. Her pull-back found Doddsy at the near post and although the shot was worrying enough to elicit a scream from a defender, it was saveable enough to be grasped by the goalkeeper.

That situation would be changed by a substitute. After Sadie spent 24 minutes running herself into the ground, she was replaced by Ella Bothamley, who took just three minutes to open the scoring.

Boz would be quick to point out the good work done by her team-mates. Down the left, Teddington’s triangles between Emily, Macca and Saskia had been pinning the visitors in; when Doddsy received the ball at the bye-line corner of the box, most expected her to recycle through those team-mates. Instead, she suddenly turned inside her defender and laid a gimme across the six-yard box for Boz to finish at the back post.

That might have been the first of many – for Boz alone. Two minutes later, Em’s lovely trickery on the left (after a right-wing corner) set up the right-winger coming through the inside-right channel, but she lifted it over the bar as well as the goalkeeper. Then Doddsy did well to turn inside and find Boz who couldn’t quite finish; then Em’s looping pass from 25 yards fell for a slightly surprised but unmarked Boz who couldn’t capitalise; then she was sent straight through but put it straight at the goalkeeper. In her first eight minutes of action, she could quite conceivably have scored five as Carshalton struggled to live with her.

As it was, the score stayed at 1-0. The players on the pitch were given more minutes on the pitch than expected, as the other three substitutes displayed a lack of application in their warm-up. The participants got more practice, the subs learnt a lesson, and Teddington won the points.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC Ruby Rudkin, Anna Kauffmann, Hannah Hutchison, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Liz Kriebel, Millie MacEacharn, Sadie Day (sub Ella Bothamley 1g), Giulia Clini, Emily Coulson, Ella Dodd. Subs unused: Ale Fairn, Emily Bashford, Amy Hallett.