Teddington Athletic's successful U13 girls team are seeking reinforcements for next season's expansion into 11-a-side football.
In their debut season (2013/14), the girls were crowned Division 2 League Champions, winning every game and scoring 100+ goals; this season, they finished fourth in the Premier Division while also reaching the Surrey League Cup Final.
Just as importantly, the girls play an exciting brand of pass-and-move football designed to equip them for a long relationship with the game – and have been described by managers in the league as "A breath of fresh air."
Furthermore, they have received holistic help from various sources. TV nutritionist Amanda Ursell, renowned mental-skills experts Gazing Performance Systems and Pilates instructor Narelle Mangham have all assisted this go-ahead team with their preparations.
Having enjoyed a fruitful tour of the Netherlands in 2014, the team are planning an extensive tour to Florida in summer 2016, including games against local clubs and visits to universities which offer courses to young women footballers.
If you would like to join the Teddington adventure, please email team manager Dave Waldron for more information at: tafcsharksandgirls@gmail.com. Girls must have been born between 1 Sep 2001 and 31 Aug 2003, and be able to play on Sunday morning.
Cup finals stay forever in the memory. The glory lingers, but so can the disappointment: the worry can be that a bad performance has a lasting after-effect. But Teddington need not worry on that score.
Fresh from retaining the Surrey FA Cup by beating fierce rivals AFC Wimbledon the previous week, Crystal Palace – still stinging from losing the league to the Dons – had their eyes firmly set on a consolatory cup double. For Teddington, two seasons into existence, it was a new experience to be enjoyed: changing rooms, handshakes before the game, proper referees – and medals to be played for, at Merstham FC's Moatside stadium.
Before the game, Sinead had shyly asked “Dave, is it OK if I shoot with my left foot today?” Obviously encouraged to do so, she almost put Teddington ahead with it in the first minute. A Jelly throw from deep on the right was flicked on by Doddsy, finding Sinead at the back stick, and her first-time effort ruffled the side netting.
Two minutes later, Palace were more accurate with their own left-foot finish. Receiving the ball on the edge of the area, the impressive No.9 turned, skipped past a couple of challenges and fired past Ruby’s left hand into the far side of the net.
It was a cruel early blow for Teddington, but they didn’t let it destroy them; furthermore, as Palace were now happier to let their opponents have the ball, the white shirts started to dominate possession and creation, with Phoebe a particular threat down the right.
On six minutes Pheebs switched play wide to Sinead, but despite her best efforts the left-sider couldn’t quite angle her body to take it with either her left or right foot and the ball rolled out of play. Then in the 12th minute Phoebe harried the left-back, dispossessed her and slammed a shot just wide of the near post.
If that was close, a minute later she got closer still. Jelly’s throws into the box were causing Palace problems and Phoebe profited from the confusion, hitting a first-time shot from eight yards that hit the far post with goalkeeper Rebekah Cooper stranded.
A minute later, Rebekah was called into action when Emily’s shot from a wide position arrowed towards the top corner. Teddington were making most of the running, and as usual it was through a team effort. The back two of Millie T (just about edging Parky out of the starting line-up) and Saskia (the Players’ Player of the Year) were composed when called upon, dealing with Palace’s sporadic forays forward and intelligently darting wide when their opponents attacked down the wings.
Sas and Mil, typically unassuming, would be quick to note the excellence of Jelly as an auxiliary third defender. The skipper for the day had been doubtful before the game, racked with a splitting headache, but she delivered a powerhouse performance at the heart of the team. Given the role of marking Palace’s ever-impressive dangergirl Rebecca Sobowale, Jelly displayed determination in the tackle but also superb reading of the game, frustrating the No.11 and nullifying Palace’s main attacking outlet.
And if Palace weren’t going to attack, Teddington certainly were. Two days after being crowned the Managers’ Player of the Year for her unwavering willingness to play in any role, diminutive dynamo Carla was everywhere at once – chasing the runners off Rebecca when Palace had the ball, then slipping into defence to cover the No.11 when Jelly strode out of defence with the ball.
In front of those four, the attacking unit were all energy and inventiveness. Coaches’ Player of the Year Emily probed and prompted in her usual acclaimed fashion, while Doddsy put in the hard yards and represented a significant physical presence in the opposition area. Meanwhile, Phoebe and Sinead ran the defence ragged as each girl sought her 40th career goal for the club.
Either could have achieved it just before half-time. As another Jelly long throw caused notable alarm among the Palace defenders and supporters, Phoebe fired in a textbook shot from four yards, but it bounced off a defender on the line, landing with Sinead who shot with astonishing speed but only into the side-netting.
Teddington had undoubtedly had more possession, passes and chances, but Palace are always a threat, even when ceding territory, and even when quietened Rebecca remains a danger up top. She had scored the cup-winner against Wimbledon the previous week by latching on to a long goal kick, and as Palace relieved the pressure with a clearance, she finally managed to find a way through the opposition defence.
Powering down the left flank after chasing an apparent cause, she cut inside onto her favoured right foot and fired in from the edge of the area – but Ruby was equal to the task and saved Palace’s first shot on target since the goal, more than half an hour before.
Having had much the better of the first half, Teddington didn’t need to make changes at the break. Palace rested Rebecca but demonstrated their threat within seconds, fizzing a snapshot wide of Ruby’s right-hand post.
Still, with Jelly slightly less busy defensively, Teddington had the chance to step up their assaults on the Palace goal. Seven minutes into the second period, Sinead once again outpaced her full-back and burst through on goal, and once again had the confidence to use that left foot – but once again Rebekah was equal to the shot.
Teddington pressed on, attacking at pace down either wing and threatening from throws and corners, and with 20 minutes left they got their clearest sight of goal. Their second successive flag-kick from the right was beautifully flighted to the edge of the six-yard box, where Doddsy had made a brilliant run to find herself free and unmarked – but with Palace prone and praying, her header whizzed marginally over the bar.
Had that (or any number of other half-chances) gone in, Teddington may well have gone on to beat Palace 2-1 again. As it was, the cup holders rallied and came back into the match. As Teddington tired and the defence naturally dropped deeper, that created the room for Palace’s excellent midfield metronome Mia Quintero to calmly spread the ball wide, where their wide midfielders – particularly the feisty Mia Lockett – started to pull Teddington out of position.
Even so, Palace were hardly foolhardy in committing numbers forward, and Ruby’s goal remained relatively unthreatened, with just the occasional shot or cross wafting wide: only in the final minute of normal time did Rube have a third and final on-target shot to stop. However, Teddington were also running out of ideas, passing with more haste than taste.
As the Whites’ management rolled the dice, the unlucky and bitterly disappointed Sinead made way for the increasingly impressive Amy Hallett. In her debut season, mainly rotating wide right and up front with Phoebe, the pocket rocket had contributed 14 goals to the title-winning cause; this campaign has been more disrupted, but pleasingly mature, as lately Amy has shown herself capable of immediately adapting to any requested position in midfield or attack.
On this occasion she was unable to change the course of events but Amy can look forward to next season: her combative intelligence will thrive in the 11-a-side game.
Also thrown into the fray late on was Ale Fairn. Arguably Teddington’s most natural striker, Ale has endured a second season of more stops than starts as she struggled with chronic ankle problems. Hopefully she will come back for the new season refreshed and ready for a new challenge.
The move to 11-a-side will bring increased chances for other valued members of the squad. Sadie Day has also had some absences and injuries – not least the infamous toe-nail – but whenever called upon she has brought gutsy guile to the right wing.
On the other flank, Millie MacEacharn may not always believe in herself but the management certainly do: she has proven, even against the biggest teams, that she has the ability to beat the best. At the back, Parky will be available to complete a triumvirate of committed yet creative defenders, freeing Jelly up to dominate play from further forward, which in turn will give players like Doddsy and Emily (33 goals between them this term) more licence to get up the sharp end – while the wider spaces of the bigger pitch should give even more room to rev up for pacy wingers Sinead and Phoebe.
One or two new recruits may arrive, but only to improve the quantity rather than the quality. Given the inevitability of other commitments and injuries, regularly filling a 15-girl matchday squad may require 17 signed-on players, and Teddington are currently down to 14. Sophie Wallman, the only Cup Final absentee, has made the reluctant but understandable decision to concentrate on her various other pursuits – a pity for the management, as she was showing increasing intelligence on the pitch to match her undoubted energy and application. She will be missed, but she will always be welcome along.
In only their second season, Teddington have met with adversity and triumph. Every loss is a lesson learned, and this valiant Cup Final defeat was no exception: the management have picked up some tactical nuances for the next time the teams meet, while the players should have every confidence that they can beat the double cup-winners again.
After the game, affable Palace boss Rick Lockett acknowledged that Teddington “have been a breath of fresh air in the league this season” and were the better team in the final. Let’s make no bones about it, this is a very good team that were pushed all the way. In three competitions, the double cup-winners only lost twice this season: to Wimbledon and Teddington. That is the standard to which the team must aspire, and it’s one they will be confident of reaching in the new expanses of 11-a-side.
TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Ruby Rudkin, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Ella V, Carla Novakovic, Ella Dodd, Emily Coulson, Sinead Morris, Phoebe Head. Subs Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Sadie Day, Millie MacEacharn, Ale Fairn.
Pictures above by David Theobald, below by Richie Coulson. Many more of David's pics on the video below (click the rectangle at bottom right to enlarge). Thanks to all the parents: we couldn't do this without you.
“Weather changes moods,” as doomed grunger Kurt Cobain once sang. After some glorious days of late, the morning at Fleet started disappointingly, but brightened considerably later on.
With options in mind for the Surrey Cup final a fortnight later, Teddington started the final league game with a back three of Parky, Millie T and Sas. However, the first-half display on a moist morning was far from watertight. Missing the organisational urgency of Jelly (cricket trials) and indefatigable energy of Carla (mini-marathon), and sometimes outnumbered in midfield, the visitors spent the majority of the first period on the back foot.
Behind the reshaped defence was Ruby, who had that week expressed a strong interest in retaining the gloves next season. She might have been regretting the decision after an uncertain start to the game: although fumbling a third-minute cross went unpunished, moments later a fluffed drop-kick led to Fleet hitting the bar. But Rubes is nothing if not determined, and she would soon be the hero.
The hosts were certainly on top for the first 15 minutes, but denied by a combination of their own profligacy and Teddington’s dogged defending. When a seventh-minute through-ball split the visitors’ rearguard, back sped Sophie to tidy up and clear for a corner. The athletic mini-midfielder has grown into her role recently with increasing tactical acumen, learning to read the game and intelligently covering for her team-mates – whether eliminating arising danger or dropping into holes as colleagues join attacks. Unavailable for the cup final, she will be missed.
Teddington were often causing their own problems, often through a lack of communication. Sas and Ruby left a Fleet throw to each other and were relieved to see the shot fly wide of the empty goal; then Parky remained blissfully unaware that Rubes was taking a short goal-kick in her direction, necessitating a second successive last-ditch tackle from the defender.
As the half wore on, Teddington started to create the odd chance but often snatched at it, with Emily twice rushing shots from too far out when driving forward might have been the better option, but Fleet were still the more likely. However, just when it looked like the half would end goalless – and with touchline preparations already well under way for a half-time triple switch – the hosts went in front two minutes before the break.
The goal came when a Fleet drop-kick bounced through the side-on Teddington defence and the home side finally converted a chance – although with more than a suspicion of hands as the striker took it round Ruby. And when the referee did give a handball in the area two minutes later, it was against the visitors – and again controversial.
A shot from close quarters bounced off Millie T’s forehead (leaving a visible splatter) onto her arm, although to give the young referee credit, Millie’s arms were typically splayed. Whatever the merits of the decisions, Teddington faced the very real prospect of conceding two in two minutes just before the break – but encouraged by her team-mates, Ruby stood up tall and saved the penalty, to the delight of her colleagues.
Switching to a back two and buoyed by a trio of tremendous replacements – Sinead for Macca, Phoebe for Ale (with Amy going up top) and Doddsy for the blameless Millie T – Teddington immediately set about their hosts, Sinead bursting past her right-back and shooting just wide. However, the visitors continued to cause problems at both ends of the pitch, and five minutes into the second period another lapse into defensive indiscipline was punished with a second home goal.
This time, instead of seeing the ball off Teddington conceded an unnecessary throw-in deep in their own quarter, and compounded the error by not marking up quickly. A swift cross was efficiently converted and the visitors were two down after all.
But not for long: ten minutes into the half, Teddington started the comeback. With Sophie dropping in to cover her, Saskia stepped up to throw to Sinead; turning inside, the quicksilver flyer cleverly found Emily, who spread to Phoebe, whose through-ball was chased and converted by Amy. Increasingly impressive anywhere in attack or midfield, and able to switch roles mid-game without fuss or confusion, the No.9 has watched and learned from Ale’s intelligent runs and selfless application, giving the team another alternative up top.
Not that Teddington are anything but a team, with multiple threats from all angles, and a front unit capable of frightening any opponent. When Phoebe ran down the right and crossed in, Amy made another bright near-post dart but it was Sinead at the back stick who connected and steered just wide. Then Amy’s chase-down caused a throw deep on Fleet’s left flank, and Doddsy got to it first to force the goalkeeper into a save.
Although she has also played admirably in defence and midfield this season, Doddsy craves goals like any striker; her face is etched with disappointment when she doesn’t score. But despite drawing blanks in the four games since the mid-March clash with Fleet, she isn’t panicking or snatching at shots. A lesser player would have rushed her attempt when a clearance dropped to her on the edge of the box, but with excellent technique and exemplary application, she calmly controlled the falling ball and placed it toward the far corner. The goalkeeper saved, but they won’t always do so, and Doddsy was made well aware that she’s doing everything right; perhaps a goal in the final might cheer her up…
Fleet were far from finished. Pouncing on an uncollected goal-kick, the striker fired into the side-netting – and on the hour they had the ball in the net, but for the second successive week Teddington saw a conceded ‘goal’ disallowed for offside.
Despite the scares, Teddington had undoubtedly made most of the second-half running, and refused to panic as time ran out. With five minutes left – and a full 20 minutes after halving the arrears – they levelled matters through a goal combining the whole front four.
Enthusiastically chasing a through-ball, Amy harried the goalkeeper into a rushed scoop of a clearance; Emily picked it out of the air and played it wide right to Phoebe, who got down the flank and crossed along the six-yard line for Sinead to tuck home her 13th of the season, and 39th overall.
That puts her career total level with Phoebe, but her fellow flyer almost nudged back in front in a most unusual way. With three minutes to go and her colleagues massing in the area for a left-wing corner, Pheebs aimed to bend one in to the far post – and succeeded, striking the woodwork and watching it bounce agonisingly clear.
Still Teddington came, and an injury-time corner prompted a right old melée, with a Doddsy header blocked in the six-yard box before Emily lashed just wide, in the game’s last action.
As in these sides’ previous clash at Bushy Park, the visitors had come from behind to grab a deserved point in a well-fought game – especially considering neither side could change its position, Teddington finishing fourth of eight while Fleet came seventh. The Hampshire side don’t know whether they’ll compete in next season’s league, but their final visitors will be looking forward to their first 11-a-side campaign with hard-won experience and lots of well-earned hope.
TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Ruby Rudkin, Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Sophie Wallman, Emily Coulson, Amy Hallett (1), Ale Fairn, Millie MacEacharn. Subs: Ella Dodd, Phoebe Head, Sinead Morris (1).
Your usual reporter wasn't there – an unavoidable appointment with the Mediterranean – but until more details can be ascertained, here's how it unfolded on the @TAFCU13Girls Twitter account, which you really should follow. I did, frantically.
"Gutted they lost - thought they deserved a draw" said one observer; "We lost concentration once and Wimbledon scored with their only chance" said one participant.
Defeat means that Teddington will now finish fourth, a very promising first campaign in the top flight. Wimbledon – the current champions, who need just two points from their final two games (both at home to Croydon) to retain their title – are the only opponents yet to be beaten by Teddington, who can be very proud indeed.
TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC Squad: Ruby Rudkin, Ella Parkinson-Mearns, Millie Theobald, Saskia Brewster, Ella V, Ella Dodd, Carla Novakovic, Sadie Day, Emily Coulson, Amy Hallett, Phoebe Head, Ale Fairn, Sinead Morris.
Three fallow weeks after their last-ever home game at Bushy Park, Teddington Athletic's U13 Girls began the four-game travelling itinerary that will complete and define their season. Trips to champions Wimbledon, distant Hampshire and a cup final remain were preceded by a return to Croydon, where the girls were so controversially held to a draw in October.
Actually, the destination was sunny Beckenham, looking particularly picturesque on a day promising early summer. That meant driving through Croydon, and its various retro-futuristic travel nodes – its 1960s road overpass and 1990s tram network.
Trams are both the future and the past, a once-shunned mode reinvigorated when cars had choked the cities, and there was something of the throwback in Teddington's line-up. With Sas ill and Parky rested, the team reverted to the 2-3-3 formation that destroyed last season's Division 2 opponents.
Jelly joined Millie T in front of goalkeeper Ruby, with a midfield trio of Doddsy, Emily and Sophie backing up the striking trident of Phoebe, Ale and Millie Mac, and a threatening bench of Carla, Amy and Sinead.
Having held Teddington at home and threatened to claw back a three-goal deficit at Bushy Park, Croydon are no slouches and had the first clear chance within 90 seconds. Sprinting onto a long ball over Jelly's head, the striker pushed it toward the corner of the unusually wide net, but Ruby got down to stop it.
Warning heeded, Teddington took the lead on six minutes, patiently penetrating down Croydon's right via two Jelly throws and a corner. Phoebe took it, Jelly’s late run distracted the defence, it came to Emily at the far post who calmly took her time, picked a spot and rolled home under the keeper.
Suitably calmed, the visitors sought to impose their superiority on a small, uneven pitch congested further by Croydon playing a high line as they took advantage of the wind at their backs to clear it long. Managing to steal a yard in the midfield muddle, Emily diagonalled to Doddsy but the run through to the corner of the area was halted by the outrushing goalkeeper.
The game wasn't dull but somewhat lacked goalmouth action: a shade more at Teddington’s end, perhaps, but usually well dealt with. Teddington attempted to stretch the game, with Phoebe coming into her own: her first real run frightened the defence but the ball sat up awkwardly in the cabbage-patch corner and was fired over, then a cross wafted just past the far post. Notably, on the other side, the ever-improving Millie Mac had her best game to date, taking on defenders and showing her growing self-belief.
The two wingers almost combined to double the lead just before the half-hour. Phoebe's full-back was starting to get that familiar haunted look and the Teddington flyer's cross was intelligently touched onwards by the ever-selfless Ale towards Macca – and although the left-winger couldn't quite connect, the supporting Doddsy placed a composed shot just past the far post.
Croydon weren't out of it yet. Ruby had another couple of saves to make, and just before the half-time whistle the home side had the ball in the net but were thwarted by a questionable decision. Two strikers had burst through, one of them certainly offside but the other apparently timing her run to perfection before firing past Ruby – but the stand-in ref had already noted the flag and blown.
It was a fortunate escape and although half-time brought an infusion of fresh blood – Amy for Ale, Carla for Sophie and the late-arriving Sinead for Macca – the first 10 minutes after the break were more Croydon than Teddington. Another debatable decision brought a free-kick to the home side just outside the area; deflected off Jelly, it caused quite the scramble on the line before being cleared.
What Teddington needed was a second goal; what they got was a second and a third within three minutes of each other, provided by two of those half-time subs. On 46 minutes Jelly judiciously played a through-ball for Sinead and Amy to run on to; Sinead got there first and calmly slipped it under the goalkeeper from the corner of the box.
Three minutes later, the visitors got their third, and Amy got her just reward for an impressively threatening front-running performance. It came about because Phoebe had the awareness and skill to control a goal kick, take it to the byeline and pull it back past the goalkeeper – and because Amy, increasingly impressive anywhere in midfield and attack, had made an intelligent unmarked run into the box to complete a two-yard tap-in to an open goal.
By now, there were some fascinating battles going on. The game was never nasty but was certainly hard-fought – Ale had spent a lot of the first half with her nose in the turf and two minutes into the second period Jelly's thigh received an unrequested stud tattoo – and while all the visiting girls were standing up strong, street-savvy Sinead certainly wasn't giving any quarter to her opposite number. The Croydon right-back had already grabbed a handful of the winger's admittedly capacious shorts, and when the two were engaged in a sprint to the ball Sinead strongly shoulder-charged the impressive but much smaller defender, who then limped out of the game.
With her went much of Croydon's fight, and on 54 minutes it was 4-0. From a Teddington goal kick, Phoebe sprinted down the right, and with Amy in the middle and Sinead at the far post the defender at the near post was happy to scramble it behind. The corner reached Sinead on the edge of the six-yard box, who controlled, turned and fired an on-target shot which deflected past the helpless goalkeeper.
With seven minutes to go Teddington "went nap", as nobody seems to say these days about scoring five. Having set up three of the previous four goals, Phoebe cut out the middlegirl: again anticipating a goalkeeper clearance, she controlled, advanced, fired into the space at the near post and was promptly given a rest as the visitors reshuffled their pack.
Although Macca was kept off as a caution to protect a slight injury niggle, Ale reappeared for Phoebe with Amy switching wide right; meanwhile Doddsy, having run herself ragged, was replaced by Sophie, who resumed her diligent role in defensive midfield, slotting into the back line when Jelly moved out to take a throw or join an attack.
Such team-work brought its rewards in the last minute with the sixth goal. Having defended a deep throw well, Teddington sprung down the left; Sinead beat the offside trap with Ale just behind her, and although the goalkeeper denied the winger her hat-trick, the ball rebounded for a very grateful Ale to tidy into the net. She allowed herself a shy smile at her first goal in almost five months, during which she has started only five games as she battles persistent ankle and leg injuries.
Ale's warmly-celebrated goal made it five different scorers, with others (notably Doddsy and Millie Mac) unlucky not to have joined the list. The biggest league win of the season takes Teddington past 50 league goals for the term, and although wins for Wimbledon and Palace mean the top two are now uncatchable, Teddington can still finish third if they win their last two league games: the closer at Fleet and next week’s intriguing battle at Wimbledon.
TEDDINGTON ATHLETIC: Ruby Rudkin, Millie Theobald, Ella V, Sophie Wallman, Ella Dodd, Emily Coulson (1), Phoebe Head (1), Ale Fairn (1), Millie MacEacharn. Subs: Carla Novakovic, Sinead Morris (2), Amy Hallett (1).
