Darren Way
Darren Way is an English professional football manager and former player who manages club Bath City.
A hard tackling centre-midfielder as a player, Way started his career at Norwich City 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 side Yeovil Town. While playing for Yeovil in the Conference he was called up several times to the England National Game XI 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 before forming a strong partnership with fellow central midfielder Lee Johnson he was part of the side that won the FA Trophy, earned promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's history and promotion to League One 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 following the sacking of Paul Sturrock, 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, Devon, he was part of the Plymouth Argyle centre of excellence, before at the age of fourteen he chose to sign for Norwich City as an associate schoolboy, having been scouted by Gordon Bennett, whilst rejecting offers from Everton and Bristol City. 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 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 and Michael Owen. 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 that he would be released at the end of the season. Following this Way had a trial with Second Division side Bristol Rovers 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, before returning to link up with Bristol Rovers for pre-season training including going on a team-building trip to Dublin, but despite manager Ian Holloway wanting to sign Way, no contract was forthcoming. Having failed to win a contract with Rovers he also had a brief trial at Stevenage. His father then organised him a trial with Football Conference side Yeovil Town 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 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 as a substitute for captain Terry Skiverton. Way scored his first goal for Yeovil with a penalty kick against Nuneaton Borough 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, defeating Football League sides Colchester United 5–1 at home with Way scoring a penalty, and Blackpool 1–0 away with Way providing the assist for Nick Crittenden's winning goal. In the third round Yeovil travelled to Premier League side Bolton Wanderers 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 and Nick Crittenden, in the 2000–01 Conference team of the year.The end of the season saw manager Colin Addison forced out by chairman John Fry, with the club hiring Gary Johnson 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 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 for the first time in the club's history defeating Stevenage Borough 2–0 in the final, with Way playing the full 90 minutes.
File:Yeovil Town FC, View across the pitch - geograph.org.uk - 1722486.jpg|thumb|Yeovil Town celebrating their promotion to The Football League at Huish Park, 19 April 2003|alt=A view inside a football stadium. The winning team are posing together for a photograph, and there are photographers and journalists on the pitch.
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 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, 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, 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 out injured Way captained Yeovil in their first ever match in the Football League, a 3–1 victory away at Rochdale. 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 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 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 side Rotherham United. With the run coming to an end losing 3–2 away at Premier League side Charlton Athletic.
His first season in League One 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 victory over Macclesfield Town 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.