Cardiff Met go head to head with The New Saints to decide the first silverware of the season in the Nathaniel MG Cup final tomorrow at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth (5.15).
The Students will be underdogs as they attempt to prevent The New Saints from lifting a fourth-successive League Cup.
Victory for The New Saints would see Scott Ruscoe claim first title as Saints manager.
Ruscoe has lifted the League Cup as both a player and an assistant at The New Saints and is hoping to follow in his predecessor Craig Harrison’s footsteps.
“This is my first final as a manger of a football club – obviously I’ve won it as a player and an assistant and so on in previous years, but to win it for the first time as a manager would be very special, so I’m massively looking forward to the game to see how my team perform,” he said.
“You always know that there might be a possibility of having to step up to become a manager, but because Craig Harrison dominated as a manager, it is expected that we win the league, the cups and you entertain, so when you are given that chance it dawns on you that you’ve got to continue that progression. We’ve not wanted to stand still, we’ve put the club in a position to continue improving and we’re continuing to push the club in the right direction.”
Ruscoe speaks highly of his counterpart Christian Edwards, who takes Cardiff Met into their first League Cup final having steered his young side to a top-six finish for the second year running.
“They’ve got a fantastic manager, someone who is a real deep thinker of the game,” he said. “They’ve got players in there who have been at professional clubs but it hasn’t worked out for whatever reason. They’ve taken their studies on, thinking about their careers as well as football. They’re playing at a very good level, and being educated at a very good level too, so their model and the way they utilise it is excellent to see.
“They’ve been such a positive for the league, they’ve got some very, very good players. They’ve got a good squad and keep bringing these top players through despite their injuries, but my favourite thing about them is their team mentality – they have a professional attitude, and it is going to be a very tough game for us in the final,” added Ruscoe.
Cardiff Met must find a way past The New Saints with an unwanted injury list. Striker Adam Roscrow who is expected to fail his fitness race for the final, having been sidelined since November. Captain Charlie Corsby is also set to miss what is one of the biggest game’s in the club’s history.
“The thought of being in Welsh League One – never mind the JD Welsh Premier League – was such a big dream for us, so to be in a position now where we’ve secured our third successive season at this level and on the brink of a cup final is fantastic,” said Corsby of the club’s rise through Welsh domestic football.
“The final will be a really great occasion, it is a massive added bonus to the success we’ve managed to consistently create over the last few years – the league is the bread and butter for us, of course, but it’ll be a great day for our club, and hopefully a historic one for Cardiff Met.”
“The New Saints are a wonderful footballing side, they’re always an absolute joy to play against because they test you, they pull you around, they’re difficult to contain, but we know that we have the players in our squad to go and really cause TNS some problems.
“I have absolutely no doubt that the boys who step onto the pitch for that game will be capable of going out there and winning the final for us, and I would love more than anything to see them succeed!”
The game will be shown live on S4C and online.
