Five candidates who could replace Corbisiero in the Aberystwyth hot seat
Christian Edwards at Caernarfon, Wales 30 March 2022. International Challenge match between Wales C and England C. Credit: Will Cheshire
Following Antonio Corbisiero’s shock resignation during the week, Aberystwyth Town are one of many teams in the Welsh leagues who are on the hunt for a new manager.
Newly promoted Pontypridd are also looking for a new manager after Jonathan Jones’ resignation, whilst Aber’s local rivals Penrhyncoch are looking for a new boss after Aneurin Thomas left. Whoever the Seasiders choose to hire, they are likely to face tough competition.
Here are some of the candidates the Seasiders could consider to take charge.
Christian Edwards
After 13 years in charge of Cardiff Met, Edwards stood down at the end of the season after leading Met to three promotions and European football, having now opted to give someone else a chance after over a decade at the helm.
Edwards is already a familiar face at Aberystwyth, having spent three and a half years wearing the Black and Green between 2007 and 2010, making 89 league appearances. Edwards also had a brief spell as a caretaker manager with Aber, leading his side to five wins in six games after Brian Coyne left the club.
Edwards has shown with Met that he is willing to stay in the job for a long time, and after a high turnover of managers over the last decade or so, a period of stability with Edwards at the helm could be just what the Seasiders need.
Edwards remains part of the football program at the University as their director of football but has taken a step back from managerial duties.
Embed from Getty ImagesTony Pennock
Pennock recently left his role as coach with Hull City, and has said that he now wants to become a manager himself, telling Hull’s website: “I’m excited about what the future holds but I’m going into it with my eyes wide open and hopefully, fingers crossed, something comes along and I can have the opportunity to become a manager.”
Pennock was first appointed to Hull’s senior coaching team in 2016, after previously taking charge of Swansea’s academy. After leaving Hull in 2017, he had a brief spell with Aber, first as an assistant manager before being promoted to manager, but he left without managing a game after he was offered a chance to rejoin Hull.
Whilst Pennock would have to take a substantial pay cut from his Hull salary to join Aber, there are other factors at play beyond the financial.
Having left before taking charge of a game in 2017, Pennock could feel he has unfinished business at Park Avenue, and would jump at the chance to make amends. Tony’s son, Alex, is also at Aberystwyth, and a chance to help his son follow in his footsteps could be a big factor in Tony’s decision.
Pennock has already joined Aberystwyth after leaving Hull once in his career, and there are plenty of reasons for him to do it again.
Wyn Thomas
Wyn Thomas is another potential candidate who has a history with Aberystwyth. Thomas started his career with the Seasiders in the 90s, before rejoining for his second spell between 2011 and 2016.
Thomas has been in charge of Swansea University since 2019 and was at the helm when his side won the Cymru South in 2019-20, with the help of Director of Football Dafydd Evans.
Like Christian Edwards, Thomas also had a spell as caretaker manager during his previous spell with Aberystwyth. Thomas won five games out of ten in the Aberystwyth hot seat, after taking charge when manager Ian Hughes was unavailable due to a long period of illness.
Despite now being 43 years old, Thomas is still playing regularly for Swansea University. His experience could be a massive help to Aberystwyth’s young defence were he to be hired, having played nearly 400 games in the top tier of Welsh football.
Sean Cresser
Cresser was appointed as Carmarthen’s manager at the start of the 2021-22 season, and after a shaky start, he led his side on an incredible seventeen-game unbeaten run in the league. During this period, the Old Gold also defeated Newtown in the Welsh Cup, and took eventual cup winners The New Saints all the way to penalties before narrowly losing.
The former Haverfordwest boss left Carmarthen in April, stating that he found “The recent suggestions of changes to the Management Team structure, proposed by the Directors of the club, to be unacceptable.”
Having left the Old Gold on something of a sour note, a chance to manage their rivals could be tempting for Cresser, as he would have the chance to show Carmarthen what they’re missing.
Mark Jones
The Wales C boss is a popular figure in Welsh football, more so than ever after leading the C side to an emphatic 4-0 victory over England C in March. He also has plenty of domestic experience under his belt in his 20 years as a manager, having had two spells in charge of Port Talbot, as well as three years in charge of Carmarthen, who he won the Welsh Cup with.
However, were ‘Jonah’ to take charge of Aberystwyth, or indeed any club, it’s likely he would have to stand down as Wales C manager. It is clear that Jones loves managing the semi-pro side, so it would take a lot to draw him away from his international duties.
