Darren Way (born 21 November 1979) is an English professional
football manager
''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...
and former
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
who is currently the assistant manager at
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
.
A hard tackling
centre-midfielder as a player, Way started his career at
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
as an associate schoolboy in 1994, and while there was selected for the
England U16 side making six appearances. He progressed through the youth ranks to captain the reserve side and earn a professional contract at Carrow Road but was released in the summer of 2000 after failing to make a first team appearance. Following his release Way returned to the South West and signed for
Football Conference
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
side
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
. While playing for Yeovil in the Conference he was called up several times to the
England National Game XI
The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) is the football team that represents England at non-league level.
Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
side making three appearances, scoring once.
A firm fans favourite during his time at Yeovil as a player, affectionately nicknamed "Weasel" by the fans, he scored twelve goals in his first season as the club narrowly missed out on promotion to
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
before forming a strong partnership with fellow central midfielder
Lee Johnson he was part of the side that won the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
, earned promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's history and promotion to
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
in 2005. Way's performances in the 2004–05 season saw him recognised by his fellow professionals and awarded a place in the League Two team of the year. Way left the Glovers, in January 2006, after five and a half years to sign for
Swansea City for a fee of £150,000. His time in South Wales though was plagued with injuries, during one of his recoveries from injury he returned to Yeovil on loan for six weeks. In the summer of 2008, Way left Swansea having made only 21 appearances and returned to Yeovil. In December 2008, Way was involved in a serious car accident whilst a passenger in a car, leaving him with injuries which included a broken femur and broken hip. The accident ended his playing career, having made 274 appearances across three spells for Yeovil, and in February 2010 he announced his retirement and became the club's new first team coach.
After five years as the club's first team coach, and briefly acting assistant manager, Way was appointed
interim manager
Interim management is the temporary provision of management resources and skills. Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change with ...
following the sacking of
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock (born 10 October 1956) is a Scottish former association football, football coach and former player.
As a player, Sturrock spent his entire senior career with Dundee United, making more than five hundred appearances betwe ...
, on 1 December 2015. After six games in an interim role, Way was officially appointed as Yeovil's manager on 31 December 2015. Way spent three years in charge of The Glovers guiding the club to 19th, 20th and 19th-place finishes respectively but with the club facing the threat of relegation out of the Football League he was sacked in March 2019.
Playing career
Norwich City
Born in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, Devon,
he was part of the
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
centre of excellence,
before at the age of fourteen he chose to sign for
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
as an associate schoolboy, having been scouted by
Gordon Bennett, whilst rejecting offers from
Everton and
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
.
Way spent the next two years travelling from Plymouth to Norwich, spending seven hours there and seven hours back on the train each weekend, along with future Wales international and Liverpool striker
Craig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward and is current assistant manager at EFL Championship side Burnley. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy began his senior playing career with Norw ...
who he used to meet in Bristol.
While progressing through the youth ranks at Norwich, Way played for the
England schoolboys side on six occasions, alongside
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
and
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team. Since r ...
.
In May 1999, Way signed a one-year professional contract and sat on the bench for a number of first team matches.
Having only made six appearances for the reserve side in the 1999–2000 season, in March 2000, Way was informed by Norwich manager
Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton (born 21 December 1946) is a Northern Irish former professional football player and manager. He gained 50 caps for Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1980, and later managed the national team for four years. He later became Techn ...
that he would be released at the end of the season. Following this Way had a trial with
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
side
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
playing a game for their reserve side.
On 26 April 2000, he was released from his contract having not made an appearance for the Norwich first team.
Yeovil Town
In May 2000, following his release by Norwich, Way played in a trial match for
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
,
before returning to link up with
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
for pre-season training including going on a team-building trip to Dublin, but despite manager
Ian Holloway
Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who was most recently the manager of Grimsby Town.
A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League ...
wanting to sign Way, no contract was forthcoming.
Having failed to win a contract with Rovers he also had a brief trial at
Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
. His father then organised him a trial with
Football Conference
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
side
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
after talking to assistant
Steve Thompson and reserve team manager Maurice O'Donnell, Way featured in a reserve team friendly 9–1 victory against
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National P ...
in early August 2000.
On 18 August 2000, Yeovil manager
David Webb signed Way on a two-year contract, linking up with former Norwich youth teammate
Barrington Belgrave. With manager Webb describing Way as "a talented midfield schemer". Way made his Yeovil debut the following day, on 19 August 2000, in a 2–0 victory over
Kettering Town
Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
as a substitute for captain
Terry Skiverton
Terence John Skiverton (born 26 June 1975) is an English former footballer who enjoyed a long playing career at Yeovil Town for 11 years, appearing 382 times in all competitions, before becoming their manager and subsequently, assistant manage ...
. Way scored his first goal for Yeovil with a
penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
against
Nuneaton Borough
Nuneaton Borough Football Club is an English football club that is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The men's 1st team competes in the , the seventh tier of English football.
In 1889, Nuneaton St. Nicholas FC was the first team in Nuneaton t ...
in a 2–0 victory, on 2 September 2000. Way immediately became a fans favourite at Yeovil earning the moniker "Weasel" to describe his hard working attitude. Way was part of the Yeovil side who progressed to the third round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
, defeating
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
sides
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
5–1 at home with Way scoring a penalty, and
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
1–0 away with Way providing the assist for
Nick Crittenden's winning goal. In the third round Yeovil travelled to
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and took the lead before succumbing to an injury time defeat. Way ended his first season with the club having made 51 appearances in all competitions, scoring twelve times, as Yeovil narrowly missed out on the Conference title.
His performances in the Yeovil midfield led to his inclusion, alongside teammates
Terry Skiverton
Terence John Skiverton (born 26 June 1975) is an English former footballer who enjoyed a long playing career at Yeovil Town for 11 years, appearing 382 times in all competitions, before becoming their manager and subsequently, assistant manage ...
and Nick Crittenden, in the 2000–01 Conference team of the year.
The end of the season saw manager
Colin Addison
Colin Addison (born 18 May 1940) is an English former professional footballer and manager.
Born in Taunton, Somerset, Addison started his playing career with York City before moving to Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Sheffield United. His man ...
forced out by chairman John Fry, with the club hiring
Gary Johnson
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
as his replacement, this heralded the arrival of his son
Lee Johnson with whom Way would form a formidable midfield partnership.
In November 2001, Way was called up for an England National Game XI trial match against a
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
XI, but had to withdraw through injury. Way's season was interrupted by injuries as he made 34 appearances as Yeovil finished third in the Conference.
Yeovil's season ended on a high when on 12 May 2002, they lifted the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
for the first time in the club's history defeating
Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier o ...
2–0 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, with Way playing the full 90 minutes.
![Yeovil Town FC, View across the pitch - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Yeovil_Town_FC%2C_View_across_the_pitch_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1722486.jpg)
The new season saw Yeovil allocate squad numbers for the first time in the club's history with Way wearing the number six shirt. After a strong start to the season, in November 2002, Way received his first call-up to the
England National Game XI
The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) is the football team that represents England at non-league level.
Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...
for an under-23 friendly against their Italian counterparts, with Way making his debut as a second-half substitute. The 2002–03 season saw Yeovil crowned Conference champions and secure promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's history, Way made 48 appearances, but had to wait until 12 April 2003 for his first and only goal of the season. Scoring the opener in a 4–0 win away at
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
, on the day Yeovil celebrated promotion.
The end of the season saw Way called up to the England National Game XI for the
Four Nations Tournament, Way appeared in the first two matches, scoring the winner against holders
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, as England won the title. Way was one of four Yeovil players chosen in the Conference team of the year at the end of season Conference AGM.
On 9 August 2003, with club captain
Terry Skiverton
Terence John Skiverton (born 26 June 1975) is an English former footballer who enjoyed a long playing career at Yeovil Town for 11 years, appearing 382 times in all competitions, before becoming their manager and subsequently, assistant manage ...
out injured Way captained Yeovil in their first ever match in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
, a 3–1 victory away at
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. In November 2003, Way suffered a stress fracture in his shin bone, the first occurrence of an injury which would plague him later in his career.
Yeovil ended their first season in the Football League finishing in eighth place, missing out on a play-off place on goal difference, with Way scoring five times in 44 appearances in all competitions.
Way missed only one league match the following season as Yeovil won the
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
title and promotion,
at the end of the season Way was one of five Yeovil players in
PFA League Two Team of the Year.
Way was also part of the Yeovil's historic run to the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
fourth round that season, for only the second time in the club's history, scoring in the 3–0 third round victory away at
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
. With the run coming to an end losing 3–2 away at
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
.
His first season in
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
saw Way make sixteen appearances for Yeovil, before he suffered a fractured cheekbone and eye socket in a match against
Gillingham in October 2005. The injury kept him out for a month but Way would only make two more appearances for Yeovil, scoring on his return in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
victory over
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially kno ...
on 15 November 2005, "with a spectacular shot from distance". In what turned out to be his final match for Yeovil ironically against
Swansea City, Way suffered a recurrence of his shin injury which ruled him out until January. In January 2006, Way left Yeovil just a week after his midfield partner
Lee Johnson to
Hearts, as the Conference winning side began to be broken up.
Swansea City
On 20 January 2006, with his contract running out at the end of the season Way signed for fellow League One side
Swansea City for an initial fee of around £150,000, signing on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
Way made his debut for Swansea four days later in a 2–2 draw against
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
. After making only eight appearances for his new club, three in Swansea's victorious Football League Trophy campaign, in March 2006 Way suffered a recurrence of his shin injury and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
After recovering from injury an enjoying a run in the Swansea side at the start of the 2006–07 season, Way once again suffered a recurrence of his shin fracture having surgery for a third time in March 2007.
Loan to Yeovil Town
On 15 November 2007, Way rejoined fellow League One side
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
on loan from Swansea until 1 January 2008, in an effort to regain match fitness after recovering from a shin injury which had prevented him from playing for Swansea's first team for over a year. After appearing in eight matches, despite Yeovil wanting to extend his loan Way, returned to Swansea.
Return to Swansea City
Upon his return from his loan at Yeovil, Way made a further four appearances for Swansea as the Welsh side were promoted to the Championship, Making his final appearance on 26 April 2008, in a 4–1 victory over
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...
. In his two-and-a-half injury plagued years at Swansea, Way made just 21 appearances, and only six starts in the league.
Yeovil Town
On 8 July 2008, Way rejoined League One side
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
for a third-spell signing from
Swansea City on a two-year contract, for a small fee "worth up to £50,000" equivalent to the conditional waiver of money the Glovers were owed by Swansea after the Welsh club secured promotion to the Championship at the end of the 2007–08 season. Yeovil manager
Russell Slade
Russell Mark Slade (born 10 October 1960) is an English professional football manager, who was most recently managerial consultant of League Two club Stevenage.
Having had an extended career at reserve team level, Slade entered professional ...
described the signing as "one of the most important signings in the club's history". Way started the season well making 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice a late equaliser against
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
and the winner against
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
.
His season though, and subsequently his career, was ended prematurely after he was involved in a severe car accident, on 17 December 2008.
In Yeovil's match against
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
three days later,
Lee Peltier
Lee Anthony Peltier (born 11 December 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Rotherham United. While he has played in positions in both defence and midfield, he primarily plays as a right-bac ...
scorer of Yeovil's second, in a 3–2 victory, celebrated by revealing a message under his shirt showing support for Way. During his lengthy recovery, Way made his first appearance coming on as a substitute for the final seconds in his best friend
Terry Skiverton
Terence John Skiverton (born 26 June 1975) is an English former footballer who enjoyed a long playing career at Yeovil Town for 11 years, appearing 382 times in all competitions, before becoming their manager and subsequently, assistant manage ...
's testimonial match, in July 2009. Way finally announced his retirement from playing thirteen months after his car accident in February 2010.
On 23 July 2010, Way made his final playing appearance for Yeovil as a late substitute in his testimonial match against a
Manchester United XI.
Managerial career
Yeovil Town
During his recovery from his serious traffic accident in December 2008, Way acted unofficially as a backroom coach and scout for Yeovil, and after his retirement, in February 2010, Yeovil manager and his former teammate
Terry Skiverton
Terence John Skiverton (born 26 June 1975) is an English former footballer who enjoyed a long playing career at Yeovil Town for 11 years, appearing 382 times in all competitions, before becoming their manager and subsequently, assistant manage ...
offered him a role as the club's technical coach.
After the demoting of Terry Skiverton to assistant manager and the return of
Gary Johnson
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...
in January 2012, Way remained in his role as technical coach. Way was involved in his third promotion with Yeovil as they defeated
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
2–1 to win the
2013 Football League One play-off final and earn promotion to the Championship for the first time in the club's history. Following the club's promotion Way, along with Johnson and Skiverton, signed a new two-year contract,
after his agreement of a new contract the title of Way's role was changed to first team coach. Following the sacking of Gary Johnson in February 2015, with the club bottom of League One, Way was promoted to acting assistant manager to Terry Skiverton. Having failed to arrest the club's plight and with them all but confirmed as relegated from League Two, the club demoted Skiverton and Way back to their assistant and first team coaches roles respectively, hiring
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock (born 10 October 1956) is a Scottish former association football, football coach and former player.
As a player, Sturrock spent his entire senior career with Dundee United, making more than five hundred appearances betwe ...
as the club's new first team manager.
On 1 December 2015, with the club bottom of League Two and having not won in twelve league matches Sturrock was sacked and Way placed in interim charge, with Skiverton as his assistant.
In his first match in charge he guided Yeovil to a 1–0 victory over
Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
first round. After six matches in interim charge, having drawn three of his four league matches Way was appointed permanently.
In his first match in permanent charge, Way guided Yeovil to his first league victory, their first league win in seventeen matches, with a 1–0 victory over fellow relegation rivals
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
, on 2 January 2016. After three wins out of four league matches in January, Way was nominated for the
League Two Manager of the Month award, but was beaten by eventual winner
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
manager
Chris Wilder
Christopher John Wilder (born 23 September 1967) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a right-back. He was most recently the manager of club Middlesbrough ...
. Yeovil's improved form continued in late February and March, with a six match unbeaten run, including four consecutive 1–0 victories and five consecutive clean sheets. Way received his second manager of the month nomination in three months, after amassing ten points from their five games in the month of March and keeping four clean sheets in the process, but was beaten by eventual winner
Darrell Clarke
Darrell James Clarke (born 16 December 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player who played in the English Football League. He is the manager of club Port Vale.
A box-to-box midfielder, Clarke began his career with ...
. On 6 April 2016, having guided Yeovil to the brink of securing their League Two status, with the club fourteen points clear of the relegation zone, Way was awarded a new three-year contract.
In June 2017, Way completed his
UEFA Pro Licence
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are iss ...
course.
In November 2018, Yeovil were knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round after losing 3–1 at home to non-league side
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...
. For the second time in Way's tenure, the club had been knocked out by a non-league side in the first round. Despite the cup exit and a run of form that had seen the club only win one of its last nine league matches, Way was rewarded by the Yeovil board with a new extended contract until June 2021, with Way claiming the club were "in best place for five years". With the club having lost a further four consecutive matches following the signing of his new contract, Way attended a Supporters Alliance Meeting at which he was reported to have claimed that "he was a hero" and that "he could walk into any other club". He also said that he would not be at Yeovil for ever and that when he left he would be missed. He asserted that the fans knew nothing about football. The club's poor form continued into 2019, and after a 2–0 defeat to
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
on 23 March, with securing survival in League Two no longer in the team's own hands, Way was sacked by the club.
Plymouth Argyle
In December 2019, he was appointed under-18s manager at
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
replacing former coach
Kevin Hodges
Kevin Hodges (born 12 June 1960) is an English retired football player and manager who played as a midfielder, and now works as assistant manager at Dorchester Town. He spent the majority of his playing career with Plymouth Argyle of the Footb ...
who had left the club the previous month, with Way taking up the role from January 2020.
Fleetwood Town
On 11 September 2023, Way joined
EFL League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
to take up the role of assistant manager.
Personal life
Way has two children with his wife Kelly.
On 17 December 2008, Way was involved in a serious accident on the A3088 Cartgate link road between the
A303
The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a pri ...
and
Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...
whilst a passenger in a white van which collided head-on with a blue 4x4.
He was airlifted to
Dorchester Hospital, where his condition was described as serious but stable, before being treated at
Frenchay Hospital
Frenchay Hospital was a large hospital situated in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire, on the north east outskirts of Bristol, England, which is now closed. In 2014, it contracted to a few brain and head injuries services. It was managed by North Br ...
in Bristol. His injuries included a broken left femur, broken left kneecap, broken and dislocated right elbow, broken and dislocated left hip, multiple fractures of his right wrist, damage to his right hand, a ruptured left biceps, deep cuts to both shins and soft tissue damage.
Initially Way hoped that he would be able to resume his footballing career. On 22 January 2009, Way was discharged from
Yeovil District Hospital
Yeovil District Hospital is a healthcare facility in Yeovil, Somerset, England. It is managed by Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The hospital has its origins in a general dispensary established at the suggestion of Dr El ...
, after having thirteen operations, marking a huge step on his road to recovery, although he was still using a wheelchair.
During half-time in
Terry Skiverton
Terence John Skiverton (born 26 June 1975) is an English former footballer who enjoyed a long playing career at Yeovil Town for 11 years, appearing 382 times in all competitions, before becoming their manager and subsequently, assistant manage ...
's first match in charge against
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
, on 21 February 2009, Way came on the pitch in his wheelchair and did a lap of honour. Way had to learn how to walk again after his accident, and after his retirement he and stadium technician Bruce James were involved in a lengthy legal battle in the High Court with the insurers of the 4x4 driver over compensation for the accident.
Career statistics
Player
Managerial
Honours
Player
Yeovil Town
*
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
:
2001–02
*
Football Conference
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
:
2002–03
*
Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
:
2004–05
England National Game XI
*
Four Nations Tournament: 2003
Individual
*Football Conference Team of the Year:
2000–01,
2002–03
*
PFA League Two Team of the Year:
2004–05
Footnotes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Way, Darren
1979 births
Living people
Footballers from Plymouth, Devon
English men's footballers
England men's youth international footballers
England men's semi-pro international footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Norwich City F.C. players
Yeovil Town F.C. players
Swansea City A.F.C. players
National League (English football) players
English Football League players
English football managers
Yeovil Town F.C. managers
English Football League managers
Yeovil Town F.C. non-playing staff
Plymouth Argyle F.C. non-playing staff
Fleetwood Town F.C. non-playing staff