Why Stockport’s Dave Challinor stands out as the master of a promotion push

Manager has finished in a playoff spot or higher every year bar one in his 16 seasons with four clubs and is preparing for Stevenage test

“I’ve been through absolutely everything,” says Dave Challinor. “I’ve won and lost eliminators, won and lost semi-finals and finals, won and lost on penalties. I’ve even had goalkeepers score against me.”

When it comes to the playoffs and promotion, few can match Challinor in terms of experience. For 15 of his 16 seasons as a manager his teams – Colwyn Bay, Fylde, Hartlepool and more recently Stockport – have finished in a playoff spot or higher. The exception came in 2019-20 when he moved mid-campaign. When Stockport begin their League One playoff campaign with a semi-final first leg away at Stevenage on Saturday, it will be Challinor’s 12th playoff experience, at every level from the Northern Premier League to League One.