Dave Challinor: A year review of Hartlepool United's longest-serving National League manager

Challinor arrived at Pools last November with a big reputation in the National League despite being recently sacked by AFC Fylde.

The former Tranmere Rovers defender had taken the Coasters from the eighth tier to the brink of the Football League in the space of seven years with an FA Trophy to boot.

As a manager, Challinor had always finished a season by at least making the play-off places, with four promotions under his belt.

With that came expectation for a Pools side who had been languishing in mid-table in the National League ever since their relegation from the Football League.

In fact, Hartlepool hadn’t achieved a top-half finish in any division since their 2006-07 promotion campaign from League Two.

Since then, the club have been perpetual strugglers on and off the field.

It remains a huge challenge for Challinor – over a decade’s worth of failure would not be ironed out overnight.

And with Pools going through six permanent managers in the three years prior to Challinor’s arrival, they were crying out for some stability and consistency.

But could he deliver?

What followed was a roller coaster couple of months, the highs of a 5-1 win at Chesterfield and FA Cup victories against Yeovil Town and Exeter City were countered by crushing defeats at Harrogate Town.

By the start of the new year, Pools were sitting 16th in the table and seven points off the play-off places.

When Challinor took over, the side were 13th in the National League and five points off the top seven.

The doubt as to whether things had actually improved under the new manager was starting to creep in. Fortunately this was short-lived.

An FA Cup third-round exit at Oxford United proved to be the catalyst for a resurgence for Pools who quickly became one of the National League’s in-form sides.

After two months working with the players, Challinor had highlighted problem areas and looked to address them as the side became a fitter and more organised outfit.

Injuries to centre-back pairing Fraser Kerr and Michael Raynes were a blessing in disguise as it allowed Challinor to bring in Gary Liddle and then Timi Odusina on loan from Walsall and Norwich City respectively.

Although less defensively minded than their predecessors, Liddle and Odusina were Challinor’s players and fit in seamlessly with the style of play.

The loan addition Maculey Southam-Hales at right-back filled the big void left by Peter Kioso’s departure to Luton Town in January.

Mark Shelton’s arrival on loan from Salford City gave Pools an extra dimension in midfield as he popped up with some important goals in wins over Eastleigh, Stockport County and Aldershot Town.

Alongside him, midfielders Nicky Featherstone and Gavan Holohan were playing some of their best football of the season.

And it’s no surprise that three of those loan players went on to earn permanent contracts at the club.

In the space of two months, Challinor had Pools looking and playing like a new team, fitter, stronger and more determined than before as they slowly but surely climbed into play-off contention with a high-pressure approach. The feel-good factor was returning.

But just as Pools moved level on points with the top seven following a 1-0 win at Solihull Moors, 2020 had other plans as the threat of coronavirus was becoming increasingly apparent.

A 1-0 defeat to Ebbsfleet at The Vic which saw Challinor shown a red card in the aftermath and subsequently handed a three-match touchline ban proved to be a rare low point in what was Pools’ final home match of the campaign.

Then the pandemic started to take its toll, the 2019-20 National League season was prematurely shut down and decided on a points per game format meaning Pools finished 12th in the table despite their upturn in form.

In a way, Pools had achieved their first top-half finish in 13-years though Challinor’s record of making the play-offs or being promoted in every season since he’s been in management had ended.

The summer proved to be a very uncertain one for everyone. Over the next five months, Challinor reassembled a Pools squad with a limited budget despite not knowing when football would be allowed to resume.

By the time August came about, clarity over when the season would finally get under way was provided and pre-season preparations started.

After a long pre-season, Pools got their season off to a flyer with three straight wins taking them top of the National League table. The momentum that had been built in the early part of 2020 looked to be continuing.

Since then, there have been a few bumps in the road, namely a 5-0 home loss to Torquay United – Pools’ heaviest National League defeat.

But when results like that happen, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

Things aren’t perfect under Challinor, far from it. The side lacks a goalscorer, doubts remain over the defence and the team selection of late has been questionable.

But in his 12-month tenure as manager, he’s embraced the town and the town have embraced him back. Pools have developed a distinct identity which the players have bought into and the improvement on the pitch has been backed up by results.

While fans haven’t yet returned to Victoria Park, a sense of hope has. In 2020, no National League side has picked up more points than Hartlepool.

Although half of it has been spent under lockdown, Challinor’s year at Hartlepool makes him the club’s longest-serving National League manager.

Since 2007, Pools have appointed 14 managers with only Chris Turner, Mick Wadsworth, Colin Cooper, Ronnie Moore and now Challinor lasting over a year. And that is an achievement in itself.

The future remains uncertain at Pools, but with Challinor here, we can remain optimistic that this 13-year lul may finally come to an end.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Hartlepool United coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor