Antonio Corbisiero started this season playing in the first round of the Nathaniel MG Cup for Penrhyncoch against Guilsfield. It was his first competitive game in seven months, but he came off injured shortly before half-time.
“It made me finally realise that I can’t play anymore as I pulled my hamstring!” the 40-year-old laughs. “I’ve always enjoyed playing when needed and helping out Penrhyncoch if they’re short on numbers. But I don’t think I’ll be lacing my boots up again anytime soon!”
But it would not prove to be Corbisiero’s last involvement in the Nathaniel MG Cup this season. Having been appointed Aberystwyth Town manager earlier this month, he is preparing for the Seasiders’ semi-final clash against Cardiff City on Saturday (KO 14:30).
It is a second spell in the Park Avenue dugout for the former Black and Greens midfielder after he departed in 2022 and he admits that his return was initiated by the current squad.
“The boys that were there with me before, like Alex Darlington, Jack Thorn, Louis Bradford, they got in touch with me after Taff [Anthony Williams] had left,” Corbisiero says. “It’s always nice when the boys want you back, but you’re obviously still waiting for the call to come from the club’s hierarchy.”
That call eventually came at the start of this month and Corbisiero watched Aber win 3-1 over Newtown in on November 8 before agreeing to become manager four days later.
With the Seasiders currently bottom of the JD Cymru Premier table and four points adrift of safety, Corbisiero has a challenge on his hands and his first game in charge was a 3-0 defeat away at Cardiff Met last weekend.
“It’s always disappointing to lose, but I was really pleased with the boys,” he says. “We were playing in difficult conditions and we lost the game purely on set-pieces. But we got what we wanted from the boys in terms of being on the front foot and trying to get balls into the box. There was definitely more positives to come out of the game than negatives.”
The focus now turns to Saturday’s cup tie, with a chance to secure Aberystwyth’s place in the Nathaniel MG Cup final for the very first time.
Opponents Cardiff City are the last remaining wildcard entry in the competition this season, with Corbisiero preparing for his side not to see much of the ball at Park Avenue.
“A couple of their games in the cup this season have been on YouTube, so we’ve managed to watch them and we’ve got all the data from InStat as well. We’ve trained well and know how we’re going to play, particularly without the ball as we expect them to be very ball-dominant as most academy teams are.
“We are very much looking forward to it. It’s one of those games which everyone should be excited to play in.”
While Cardiff will be fielding a youthful side, Corbisiero sees the semi-final as a chance for some of the younger names in Aberystwyth’s squad to make a name for themselves too. Teenagers Tom Mason (17) and Devon Torry (19) started the quarter-final win over Connah’s Quay Nomads, while Gwydion Dafis (16) came off the bench.
“We’ve got a lot of young lads in the team, so there’s always the potential that Cardiff could see something in one of them,” Corbisiero says. “That is the way I would see it as a young player. We’ve seen players from the league go to pro clubs, so there is scope for it.”
The cup also provides Aber with some respite from their league struggles, with Corbisiero keen for his side to express themselves as they look to take a step closer to silverware.
“With where we are in the league, the semi-final provides the players with a chance to take their minds off that and play with a bit more freedom. There’s pressure in the league where if you lose a game then you can fall further behind in the table, but this is a one-off game.
“A cup final would be a massive day out for the board and fans, and of course exciting for us as management staff and the players. To have the experience of playing in those games is special.”
