Way can’t get better of his old boss Russ

RUSSELL Slade signed Darren Way when he was Yeovil manager back in 2008.

And with Way now in the Glovers hotseat, yesterday they went head-to-head, with Slade coming out on top thanks to goals from Danny Collins and Scott Vernon in a gritty encounter at Blundell Park.

“Whenever you score a goal, it’s always good, but especially in the manner we did when we were chasing that winning goal,” said Grimsby forward Vernon, who Slade brought on after 66 minutes.

“I always feel positive when I come off the bench in a situation like that. I managed to get on the end of one and nod it into the goal, which was pleasing.

“As I came off the pitch, one of the first lads to congratulate me was JJ Hooper, who didn’t come off the bench, which tells you a lot about the team spirit we have.

“The manager expects us to be ready as subs; these days, it’s a squad game and the three subs are going to win the match, as well as the lads who start.”

With the rain driving down and the wind swirling for the entirety of the afternoon, it was difficult for either side to ever get in control of the game and get the ball on the floor.

It was an error from Yeovil keeper Artur Krysiak which led to Grimsby’s opener after only eight minutes. The Polish stopper flapped at James Berrett’s corner and Collins was on hand to head into the unguarded net.

With their first serious attack, Yeovil’s Francois Zoko curled in a beautiful left-footed effort from the edge of the box to get the Glovers back on level terms completely against the run of play.

But the 60 travelling supporters went home empty handed as substitute Vernon headed home following Nathan Clarke’s flickon from a deep free-kick – a bitter blow to the Glovers who had a 293mile journey home.

“We identified set-pieces before the game yesterday,” said Yeovil manager Way.

“We spoke about players taking responsibility, concentrating and making sure they handle that physical battle.

“I thought we had a chance of making an opportunity to take maximum points, but then they had a second set play and we didn’t deal with that.

“After all the work we’ve done on the training ground, I don’t know if I have to put something in place to make them focus and concentrate more, because it’s definitely a naivety in the squad.”