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For Darren Way, Friday’s FA Cup tie with Manchester United brings with it a fitting twist of fate.

The Yeovil Town manager is set to go toe with toe with Jose Mourinho in the dugout at Huish Park tomorrow in what promises to be his biggest test in the two years he has been in charge.

That it is Manchester United, and not one of the other Premier League big guns, that has provided Way with this window of opportunity, is all the more apt given the bond he formed with the club and their legendary former manager in the darkest period of his life.

It was in December 2008 that Way’s life was changed forever . A passenger in a van heading towards Yeovil on the A3088 Cartgate link road, the combative midfielder was involved in a head-on collision, suffering terrible injuries that included a dislocated hip, a broken kneecap and femur and a fractured elbow.

Way spent several weeks in hospital, undergoing numerous operations, before many more months were spent recuperating from his injuries.

The crash was to bring his days as a Yeovil Town player to a halt, but while he quickly found solace as a coach at Huish Park, it was his meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson that truly got him back on his feet.

When Way arranged his testimonial in July 2010, it was Ferguson who offered to send a Manchester United youth team that included future Premier League stars including Jesse Lingard, James Chester and Joshua King to Huish Park.

It is a gesture that Way has never forgotten and he remains fully appreciate of a man who is remembered as one of the true greats of football.

(Image: Harry Trump/Pinnacle)

Way said: “Manchester United have been very supportive to me throughout my career, certainly at my lowest point.

“A big thanks goes to Sir Alex. They’ve got a touch of class in the way that they deal with people or anyone out there that they can offer their services to and they certainly showed class to me and without them perhaps I wouldn’t be sat here now.



“They made my life a lot easier for my family and I’m very appreciative of what they’ve done to bring a team down [in 2010], and then obviously to get them in the FA Cup and to be sat here as a manager now going up against Jose Mourinho is an incredible story.”

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Ferguson and Way have remained in touch ever since and he enlisted the help of the Scot prior to the fourth round draw that pitted both men’s clubs against each other, asking him to deliver a team talk to his players.

The 13-time Premier League winner is not the only famous face that Way has been leaning on in recent weeks, with former England captain John Terry – brother of ex-Yeovil defender Paul – also speaking to the Glovers squad as part of a talk about set pieces.

Way added: “He did speak to the Manchester United players before the draw which was unbelievable.



“He did ask me what draw I would like and at the time I said Chelsea.

“He said there was no better draw than Manchester United so to get pulled out against them is an unbelievable achievement.”





The opportunity for Way to come up against Jose Mourinho is one that he is relishing.

As a Chelsea supporter, Way is a long-time admirer of the now Manchester United boss and a picture exists of the two together at Stamford Bridge.

On Friday, the pair will become adversaries, but with Yeovil having knocked out two League One teams in Southend United and Bradford City to get to this point, it is a tie that the club has earned.

Way said: “It’s a very proud moment for myself and my family and it’s what the players deserve.

“The amount of effort and energy that we’ve put in to getting to where we are. You were all privy to the situation before the Bradford game of only having ten or 11 players to work with, which was very difficult.

“The effort and energy that’s gone into being able to be in the draw against Manchester United is an unbelievable achievement for the football club and we’re all looking forward to it.”