Challinor on Stockport's 'unthinkable' play-off bow

Stockport County boss Dave Challinor has said it is "unthinkable" he could be on the cusp of leading his side to the Championship, given where he started.

Challinor took over at Stockport in 2021-22 with the club in the National League and has since led them to two promotions.

They take on Stevenage this weekend in the League One play-offs - the second time in as many season that they have finished in the top six in the third tier as they aim to return to the Championship for the first time in 24 years.

"We have an opportunity that everyone's worked the socks off for from the start the season to become a Championship team, a Championship club and with Championship players," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

"I remember saying when we were in the National League that everything for me was about being an English Football League manager.

"To be able to say what I'm saying now is unthinkable from where I was sort of five years ago.

"So is there pressure? Of course there's pressure, but we're in a really privileged position to be one of four teams that are still competing in a play-off place to join Cardiff and Lincoln in the Championship."

Challinor has an outstanding record in his 16 seasons as a manager.

During that period he has managed Colwyn Bay, AFC Fylde, Hartlepool United and Stockport County, and he has only finished outside the play-off positions once.

That occasion came when he took over at Hartlepool in November of 2019-20 and they finished 12th during the curtailed Covid season.

He has wrapped up seven promotions as a manager, including one at Colwyn Bay in his first campaign in charge, two with Fylde, one with Hartlepool and two with Stockport.

Not only that, but he has won four league titles as part of his stewardship.

"I've been through absolutely everything in terms of what the play-off brings. I've lost in an eliminator, won an eliminator, lost in a semi-final, won in a semi-final, won a final, lost a final, won on penalties, lost on penalties endless times," he added.

"I have had goalkeepers score against me. It brings everything. The experience just allows us, from my perspective, to prepare a little bit clearer."

Stockport have registered a third-placed finish in their past two seasons in League One but Challinor was relaxed about looking at their record this term as an indicator of whether they will progress through the play-offs.

"If you want to look at what statistics look like, we've got no chance of getting promoted out of these play-offs because we've lost to Bradford twice, we've lost to Stevenage twice, we've beat Bolton on the first game of the season, when we were probably a little bit fortunate, and we drew away," Challinor joked.

"So, of the four teams based on previous records, then it doesn't bode well for us, but that means absolutely nothing.

"This is about moments in games, performing under pressure on an evening and on a weekend, and then a potential final in a really big stadium in front of a massive crowd. Emotions and people's psychology can be impacted by that."