Sun 17 Sep: Maidenhead (H) L 2-3

Towering above the St Mary’s pitch are three cranes, and in the quiet of a work-free weekend they line up in perfect unison. Symbols and agents of reconstruction at the site of the former Studios, they are figuratively and literally rebuilding an important part of Teddington.

Back down at human scale, there was a remodelling afoot for Teddington Athletic, too – and things were happening in trios. In their third XI-a-side season, the home side were switching to a third different 11-player formation; by the end of the game, the change would have helped them register their second and third goalscorers of the campaign, but also to concede three goals for the third successive game, each one lost to a heartbreakingly late strike after battling back to 2-2. Three isn’t always the magic number, but there was more than enough good news to balance the blues.

Another “three” – US singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III – notes that desperation is the father of invention. So it was for the Teddington Athletic management, balancing a squad which is far greater in quality than quantity. The 1pm kick-off caused the withdrawal of Amy Hallett and cast serious doubt on the usage of Emily Bashford, whose afternoon hockey trial threatened to curtail her involvement here. After being down to 12 last week – effectively 11.5, considering Frances Clark’s injured foot – Teddington were now down to the bare minimum and possibly below it.


Things weren’t helped by news on the morning of the match that captain Carla Novakovic was suffering a heavy cold. But the Novakovics are extraordinarily resilient folk, and the skipper is always determined to play.

And so the management settled on the deployment, rather earlier than they would have ideally wished, of a formation they’d been considering as an alternative: the 3-4-3 popularised last season by Chelsea and others.

New formations are nothing new to a Teddington squad adaptable by design and intent. Since moving up to XI-a-side they’d played both 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-3-1, but they’ve played a back three before, if not for a long while (barring an emergency mid-game switch that rescued a cup quarter-final at Fleet and changed the course of a season); they’ve even played a back two, in a frankly frightening 2-3-3 nine-a-side lineup that swept many a team aside. Formations and personnel change – that old front trio of Sinead Morris, Ale Fairn and Phoebe Head have all left the team – but the players remain, as does the determination to play fluid football.

This time, the switch was partly necessitated by push factors: with Amy absent, only Millie Theobald had any real experience of playing in the back line, while Carla’s illness suggested a less sprint-heavy role in defence. But it was also facilitated by pull factors created within this marvellous set of players, namely the adaptability of last week’s full-backs. Newcomers Frances and Jen Neves, midfielders for their previous teams, had demonstrated impressive defensive diligence in a back four, but since the summer the managerial feeling has been that their natural attacking inclinations might be better suited to the wing-back roles; meanwhile Bash, whose 40 minutes at full-back against Hampton suggested she had the confidence and intelligence to switch into defence, could bring her fearless physicality and searing pace to the back line. From the outset, Teddington’s players have been encouraged to excel in multiple positions, and they have almost always responded well to that opportunity for growth.

So it was that Millie T found herself flanked by willing learners in Bash and Carla. In front of them, Fran and Jen added width to the central couple of Liz Kriebel and Giulia Clini, the latter deployed deeper than her usual station but fulfilling her remit with no shortage of guile and guts.

Up at the sharp end, the added wide threat of the wingbacks gave Emily Coulson and Ella Bothamley the option of tucking in closer to Ella Dodd and the goalposts. No formation exists in isolation – it’s a game of two teams – and knowing that Maidenhead tend to play a back three meant that the visitors would be asked the question of whether to mark zonally or one-on-one, the matching formations making it a straight shootout between two fine teams.

And after a mutually tentative start, it was Teddington who made the early running. In the fifth minute, Doddsy hit the post: having hassled a back three well-marshalled by Zuri Mullings into relinquishing possession, she beat the goalkeeper all ends up with a shot from a tight angle but watched it smack off the back stick. The rebound fizzed towards Emily – quite correctly stationed between the posts – but the left-sider couldn’t quite twist herself to nod the ball home before the defender recovered.

A minute later, the goalkeeper took two attempts to gather an angled Boz daisycutter, and the two Ellas up top were starting to cause mayhem. Winning a ball she had to right to, Boz found Doddsy, who returned the favour with a clever angled flick but Boz shot just wide of the near post. Then when Doddsy sent Boz free to curl over a dangerous cross, Emily couldn’t quite get across her defender – a potential area for improvement for Em, who has done it plenty of times in the past but has gone a bit too polite of late – and although Giulia collected the half-clearance, her shot was too weak to trouble the goalkeeper.

Considering the girls had only been told 40 minutes before the game, they were taking to it like ducks to a cliché. The front three were creating chances because the four midfielders were working hard, while the back three communicated and co-ordinated. It took half of the first half for Maidenhead to spring the offside trap, and when they did they were rewarded by a five-part defensive masterclass from Bash which is worth examining in stages.

First, she refused to give the attacker an easy time: even if all else fails, defenders should never be less than awkward. Then she held her up, getting herself between attacker and goal. Then she pushed her out to the margins, from where goals are less likely to occur. When she spied her chance, she nipped in and dispossessed the forward – and then she sought to send the ball forward, and although her pass towards Fran was blocked, it was hit with such conviction that it was only deflected out for a Teddington throw. Here was a player with less than an hour’s experience in defence nevertheless displaying her footballing ability, and it was one of the finest ten-second periods of defending you could wish to see.

Still Teddington pressed. Liz sent a well-positioned free-kick over the bar, then Jen excellently intercepted a Maidenhead goal-kick and sent through a clever little pass that Doddsy couldn’t quite reach.

The front seven were displaying a pleasing fluidity. When Doddsy dropped deep to link the play, the two wide forwards drifted in and combined impressively: Boz’s little first-time flick round the corner with the outside of the boot sent Emily clean through, but she couldn’t muster the necessarily hammer to beat the goalkeeper.

It’s a sign of Teddington’s defensive resolution that it took until seconds before the half-hour for the first well-constructed attack – who, let it not be forgotten, last season won the cup and easily outperformed all the top-flight teams bar Wimbledon. The chance came from a free-kick midway inside the Teddington half (perhaps interestingly, on almost precisely the spot from which Hampton scored their first in the previous game); a few quickfire passes later, a right-wing cross was fired first-time just wide of the near post.

If it was a warning, Teddington didn’t take it. Maidenhead took the lead on 32 minutes through a ball over the top; Frances did well to dig back but couldn’t prevent the fleet-footed forward fizzing a rising shot just past Ruby Rudkin’s head.

Giulia almost equalised within a minute, with a subtle floating effort which looked very much like it was heading for the helpless goalkeeper’s top corner but didn’t quite dip enough. Usually a No.10, Giulia was impressive in a deeper role, especially considering she was heroically carrying on despite a leg injury which might have seen her substituted had Teddington had the option. Instead she saved her energy and legs a little by sitting deeper and letting Liz do more of the forward-ranging – as was proven a few minutes later when the American pulled a box-edge snapshot just wide of the near post after typically good holdup play from Doddsy.

In the last minute of the half Liz almost turned provider when her gorgeous left-wing corner somehow evaded a host of home heads in the six-yard box; Maidenhead’s clearance was collected by Jen, whose deep cross deceived the goalkeeper but arced just past Doddsy.

There was still time afore the oranges for Fran to execute one last burst down the left, dispossessing her opponent then turning her inside out before a cross that Doddsy couldn’t quite reset for the lurking Emily. It was a strong end to a good half, score notwithstanding.

And Teddington set about the second period in similar fashion, with good combination play down the left – Liz and Emily combining to feed the overlapping Fran, whose cutback reached Doddsy but unfortunately also tripped her up. Maidenhead responded with a through-ball to an unopposed forward whose fierce shot was repelled superbly by Ruby’s strong left arm.

That set the tone for a see-sawing half of mutual attacking intent, and fittingly it was Teddington who bagged first, five minutes in. Again, the ball was won in midfield by Jen, thoroughly enjoying the increased involvement. Her searching ball allowed Boz to outmuscle the defender and cross to Doddsy, who had the confidence to take a touch and turn to shoot – hard enough to go in despite Zuri’s desperate goal-line attempts.

Maidenhead replied with a couple of probing through balls, but Ruby was quick off her line to clear the first while Carla got back to snuff out the second. Fran’s threat down the left wasn’t quite matched by the final ball, and back came the visitors: Ruby was happy to watch one effort float wide of the far post, but a minute later she was a lot more worried about the unmarked girl at inside-right whose first-time effort smacked against the near upright. The goalkeeper was on the post and ready, but she’d have done well to stop a ball that was travelling at some speed.

Fifteen minutes after the break, the home side took the lead. A through-ball petering out just before the Maidenhead box presented Zuri and the goalkeeper with something of a communication problem, and the hasty clearance landed with Liz 35 or so yards out. This was the sort of chance that the American lives for, spending time before and after every training session shooting from distance, and she wasn’t to be rushed: calmly controlling the loose ball and advancing a crucial few yards, she casually clipped the ball over the retreating goalkeeper and into the net.

Maidenhead may have been shocked but they weren’t stunned, and immediately poured forward - allowing Teddington to clear and almost score their second in two minutes. Sent scampering through a broken offside trap, Boz confidently rounded the goalkeeper but fatally hesitated on her slightly weaker left foot, giving Zuri and co the chance to recover and clear behind; Emily got to the corner but couldn’t keep her header down.

Wondering what might have been is tempting and intriguing but ultimately pointless. With Teddington pressing them less – a combination of game management and straightforward fatigue – Maidenhead started to pass the ball and find gaps. One cross-field move found an unmarked inside-right but she couldn’t control a snapshot which sailed high and wide.

The equaliser on the hour was much simpler, much to Teddington’s annoyance. From a left-wing corner, a runner wasn’t picked up – "My fault", Emily later admitted with as much commendable honesty as understandable ruefulness – and the excellent first-time shot flew past the helpless Ruby.

Three minutes later, Teddington’s mini-Mignolet stopped Maidenhead retaking the lead after a good move ended in an acrobatic shot and the sort of reaction save that prompts a mixture of gasps and applause from both sets of spectators.

A word here for Millie T, marshalling in middle of defence. By the end of game she’d been screaming “out” more than a 1980s anti-Thatcher demonstrator; tasked with organising an untried back three augmented by well-meaning midfielders who would occasionally overzealously cover behind the defence and spring their own offside trap, she was a rock and an organiser. These new defenders are privileged to play alongside a team-mate like her.

If the tide was turning, Teddington rowed against it with 30 seconds of utter mayhem in the Maidenhead box. Jen again did well to send Boz down the flank, and the cross created all manner of chaos – Doddsy not quite applying the finish, the goalkeeper sprawling, Jen having an attempt cleared in the six-yard box.

Maidenhead tried to break but Liz got across superbly to tackle, exemplary midfield work from a player whose usual partner Carla was repositioned in defence and whose new sidekick Giulia was still struggling stoically through pain.

With 10 to go Ruby pulled out another gasp-inducing save, instinctively pushing wide a 10-yard volley, but she was finally beaten again as Teddington entered what is rapidly becoming a dangerous zone: the last five minutes. Again, the chance came from a through-ball, but this time Ruby stayed on her line and the forward, coming in on a slight angle, was savvy enough to hammer it into the big gap past the goalkeeper’s right hand.

Maidenhead weren’t finished, but neither was Ruby. As Teddington pushed on and left gaps, she tipped a strong last-minute shot over the bar, and although she was as much as spectator as the rest of us when the visitors hit the post from an injury-time corner, a two-goal difference would have slightly flattered Maidenhead and would certainly be unjust deserts for Teddington.

The girls worked their socks off for each other, with those in new positions displaying an impressive understanding of their redeployment. There’s no doubt that the team tired toward the end, understandably, and a deeper squad will help by offering revivifying substitutes of similar quality.

Some absences are unavoidable for girls with hectic extracurricular schedules, but there is certainly a conversation to be had about commitment, because there’s only so often the players and management can shuffle the pack into a playable hand.

Indeed, Teddington have already been forced to postpone the scheduled game at Fleet on October 15th, for which only nine girls were available; the team is only allowed to reschedule one more game this season (with 27 days’ notice) before such postponements default to forfeits. For each of the next seven weekends, at least one girl will be unavailable, leaving Teddington scrambling across to cover the gaps: as has been shown, you can’t do that forever.

Help is arriving: experienced defender Sarah Dillamore is available for the next game after missing the first two, and potential additions are being investigated. Every process of reconstruction involves a little destruction, but it’s time for Teddington to build again.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Ruby Rudkin, Carla Novakovic, Millie Theobald, Emily Bashford, Jen Neves, Giulia Clini, Liz Kriebel (1), Frances Clark, Ella Bothamley, Ella Dodd (1), Emily Coulson.
Thanks to Catherine for pics; more after the table.

Sun 10 Sep: Hampton & Richmond (H) L 2-3

As seasons come and seasons go, some say that everything changes; in Teddington Athletic’s case, a more fitting phrase may be the old Persian adage that “this too shall pass”.

The girls’ side have gone into their fifth, and presumably final, season after a summer of changes. At the 2016/17 awards ceremony they were already saying farewell to Saskia Brewster, Anna Kauffmann and Millie MacEacharn; over the summer, they also lost Ale Fairn, Sadie Day and Amy Hallett, while Hannah Hutchison dropped out in late summer to make a worrying seven departures out of last season’s 16-strong squad.

Such things happen – this too shall pass, especially with teenage girls balancing multiple extracurricular activities with the demands of GCSEs – and reinforcements had already been sought. Jennifer Neves had agreed to stay on after the disbanding of last year’s U16s managed by Christelle Pontico, while Frances Clark had signed up after several impressive performances for Hampton last season.

After further negotiations, commitment-juggling and frankly managerial pleading, two more familiar names signed on: Sarah Dillamore, a defensive stalwart for the thick end of a decade for Christelle Pontico’s TAFC team in the age-bracket above; and Amy Hallett, one of Dave Waldron’s own long-servers, persuaded back into the fold after being assured just how much her coaches and team-mates appreciated and needed her.

It cannot be denied that the squad has a certain imbalance: of the 13 players, probably only Dillers and Millie Theobald would describe themselves as defenders. But the management have decided to make lemonade, taking advantage of their players’ adaptability and pressing on with last season’s plan to play attacking full-backs. So attacking, it seems, that they’re actually midfielders. These too shall pass.

And so Millie T, centre-back stalwart since 2013, found herself at the heart of a new defence protecting goalkeeper Ruby Rudkin. With Dillers unavailable for the first two games, to Millie's right was a familiar face: Amy, who once again played with calm efficiency and excellent game-reading skills. At right-back, Jen Neves slipped in like she’d played there all her life, thoroughly deserving the accidental accolade of wearing Saskia’s borrowed No.21 shirt. And at left-back, with Frances nursing a foot injury, was none other than Emily Bashford.

If the defence was remodelled, the attack was largely intact, and Teddington started their season full of inventive brio: they could quite conceivably have been 3-0 up within three minutes. Certainly they forced three corners: from one, Giulia’s back-header flew narrowly wide of the far post, and from another, Liz’s six-yard shot was cleared off the line with Doddsy not quite able to scramble the rebound before Bash, adventurously augmenting the attack despite her defensive starting position, had a go from the edge of the box.

Not that it was all set-piece threat. In between those two chances, a flowing move through Boz and Doddsy found Emily dead centre, 15 yards out, but just about beaten to it by the desperate defender. The talented Em has declared a desire to be more central to the team’s plans, metaphorically and spatially; encouraged by the management to drift inside, she did so throughout the game and frequently found herself in dangerous positions.

Indeed, there was a pleasing fluidity to Teddington’s play considering the changes in personnel and position. With full-backs encouraged to roam forward, Bash tore up and down the left, her fearless physicality becoming a threat in attacking positions and a comfort further back, while her pace and energy kept her shuttling between the two.

She’s also blessed with knowledgable, adaptable team-mates. When Bash buzzed forward, Captain Carla kept an eye on the vacant left-back position, as did Emily: in the seventh minute, with Bash tearing forward, Em cleverly stepped back to fill the gap - and when Bash was dispossed, Em immediately rewon possession with a great tackle, played a one-two with Carla and curled in a dangerous cross not quite met by Doddsy or Boz.

By that time, Boz was revving her engine like a woman possessed, and Hampton could do little to stop her. In the fifth minute her deceptive ball from out wide had floated just over the bar with the stand-in goalkeeper helplessly back-pedalling, and two minutes later Boz’s dangerous cross found Doddsy thwarted by the goalie’s brave punch; the centre-forward rapidly gathered the loose ball and swivelled to shoot but dragged it just wide.

Back when they were just Hampton, the opponents had proved themselves capable of upsetting Teddington, with a 2-0 win back in February. Since then they have strengthened and after 12 minutes they declared their intentions with a decent attack down their left, drawing both Teddington’s centre-backs over to the danger – but there was Bash, covering across like a teenage Maldini to collect and clear the cross.

A minute later, H&R took a rather more direct route towards goal, knocking one long over the top. Again, Bash zoomed back behind her centre-backs to collect it, but before she could get there the ball was met by Ruby, who has been working out all summer and was quickly out of her box to startle the forward and clear the danger.

Teddington almost profited from another corner, this time from the right flank, when Doddsy made a great diagonal run to the near post and sidefooted it calmly towards, but sadly past, the far post.

That was the last threat to the stand-in goalkeeper, who performed diligently until the real netminder arrived halfway through the half – and was immediately into the action with a quite superb save. A first-time Boz left-footer, swinging in from the angle of the box, cut savagely back towards the near post and forced the newcomer to significantly adjust her footing to tip over. From the corner, Doddsy rolled both the defender and a left-foot shot, but again just wide.

It was a temporary reprieve: just before the 25th minute struck, Teddington did. This time the threat came from the left, Bash cutting inside and crossing right-footed; understandably drawn to Doddsy, the defenders didn’t see Boz ghosting in from the right, calmly stroking home right-footed into the corner.

Hampton & Richmond couldn’t complain about being behind but they certainly did their best to change it. Just after the half-hour they broke through but Ruby comfortably gathered the low shot; two minutes later another good run from the visitors’ left-sider attracted lots of defenders, but when she cleverly lifted it over the centre-backs Ruby was again out quickly to clear.

Teddington pressed for the comfortable margin they thoroughly deserved. Doddsy burst through but had a left-footed shot saved, before the goalkeeper again proved her excellence, brilliantly saving Emily’s close-range right-foot shot with her left foot, then the point-blank left-foot rebound with her right foot, drawing applause from the spectators and embraces from her team-mates.

As the half drew to a close, Jen started to come into the game. Driving on from the right-back zone into open fields, the debutant had the time and skill to pick out a lovely curling cross for Doddsy, whose shot looped just over.

With two minutes to go, Teddington constructed their best move so far, a series of interlaced passes creating five-yard triangles down the left as Em and Giulia interchanged at will; coming over to get involved, Doddsy rolled in a clever little ball to put Em through on goal but the offside flag, not for the last time, thwarted the hosts. A goal there would have been a fitting end to a half of superb football that should have garnered much more reward.

At the turnaround, Frances made her debut as Bash was rested to the bench, ready to return in any number of positions as required. As ever, when asked if she’d play left-back, Bash wasn’t sure she could but was certainly happy to give it a try; as usual, she gave her all, surprised herself and delighted the team with her energy, interceptions and even an assist for the goal. She now offers a viable alternative in a host of positions, and she can look forward to an exciting season full of involvement.

Five minutes into the second half, Teddington had the ball in the net again but it was ruled out for offside amid confusion and discontent. Emily had eventually bagged after good work from Boz, but following an extensive referee-linesman consultation offside was declared, possibly against Doddsy in the early part of the move.

The disappointment got considerably worse a minute later when the visitors equalised. Frances had been penalised for a handball in the centre circle, the ball was lofted into the danger area and the forwards wanted it more than the defenders. It wouldn’t be the last time a set-piece would cause Teddington discomfort.

The visitors were visibly bolstered by the equaliser, and although a Liz run down the right produced a cross-come-shot that drifted past goalkeeper and post, H&R had definitely ruffled Teddington out of their elegant stride. Football is cerebral but also physical, and the guests were no longer happy to stand admiring their hosts. One challenge in the centre circle was robust enough to makes the referee twice put whistle to lips, but not enough to blow; quite correctly, the visitors barreled on and shot but Ruby handled it well.

On the hour, Teddington responded in typical style, with a well-constructed sweeping move. Taking the time to assess her options having won the ball in midfield, Giulia cutely found Frances, who tore down the left wing into the heart of her former team-mates; her cross whizzed across the box to Liz, who just about evaded a lunging tackle to centre again, but Emily was crowded out and it was just about ferreted clear.

Again, that hurt all the more when the visitors promptly went up the other end and in front. From reasonable Teddington possession, H&R broke with pace and purpose to pierce the back-line and take the lead. Their goalkeeper, evidently an anxious sort, responded with another bout of vomiting, bless her; there were a few among the Teddington numbers who might have felt the same.

Still, Teddington did what they do. With 13 minutes of the regulation 80 to go, a beautiful move involved Doddsy’s devastating diagonal pass to Emily, who could have shot but squared instead for the slightly better-placed Boz to have her shot really well saved at the near post – and neither Giulia nor Emily could quite turn home the resulting corner.

Another minute later, another move down the home side’s left flank. Clearly settling in and notably determined to give her all against her old mates, Frances ripped down the flank, leaving a couple of defenders on the floor, before squaring for Liz 20 yards out – but the American lifted the shot over the bar, a trick she repeated three minutes later.

That Teddington were largely attacking down their left after much iof the first-half action came down the right – as handy for the coaches as it must have been annoying for the spectators – was a tribute to Fran, Em and friends on that side, if a shade disappointing that Boz couldn’t repeat her utterly dominant first-40 performance. Indeed, with seven minutes to go she would have been substituted, if she hadn’t gone and equalised – collecting Doddsy’s brilliantly-won knock-down and calmly slotting into the far corner.

That left time for a winner, and Teddington fancied it. Bash immediately came on anyway, replacing Giulia with Em coming central and Boz left on to surf her adrenaline. But as both sides charged forward, it would be Hampton who scored again, in time added on for vomiting.

It looked like their chance had gone when dangerous forward Mia turned inside the centre-backs and fired a shot off the far post. But Hampton collected the clearance, and their next attack was ended brusquely at the corner of the box. A wall was hastily assembled, but the free-kick was lofted over it and into the bottom corner to win the match with the final kick.

So for the second successive game, albeit separated by four months or more, Teddington sickeningly lost 3-2 to a late goal after battling back to parity. Since that Cup Final there have been many changes but the song remains the same: go for goals, play the game, have fun.

This may be a curious campaign, with some pick-and-mix teams, but the squad and coaches are determined that their fifth and final season should be enjoyable. And in a first half one-sided enough for the visiting coach to apologise for winning, the girls produced some of their finest football, the kind that may make them players for life. And that’s enough, whatever else comes to pass.

TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC Ruby Rudkin, Jen Neves, Amy Hallett, Millie Theobald, Emily Bashford, Liz Kriebel, Carla Novakovic, Ella Bothamley (2), Giulia Clini, Emily Coulson, Ella Dodd. Sub: Frances Clark.
Thanks to Catherine for photography: much more below.