Former Newport County boss and current National League duo among the candidates who Hartlepool United could choose from to replace Dave Challinor - part two

After part one of our managerial analysis, here at The Mail we continue to look at some of the realistic names who could take over at Victoria Park.

Following a turbulent few days Pools look set to lose Challinor, the man who guided them back to the Football League last season, to National League side Stockport County.

Challinor is just three days short of his two year anniversary since taking over at Victoria Park but following his joint-heaviest defeat as Pools manager against Leyton Orient at the weekend, the 46-year-old has since made his intentions clear that his future no longer remains in the North East despite signing a new three-year contract as little as five weeks ago.

Challinor has enjoyed almost unbridled success since his arrival in November 2019 and having fulfilled his dream of being able to manage in the Football League he looked set for a prolonged stay at Victoria Park with the club making an excellent start to life back in League Two.

Challinor has not only galvanised the club on the field but has been able to leave his mark off the field as well, with supporters uniting around his side’s resurgence over the last 12 months.

But Stockport, who Challinor captained as a player between the years 2002-04, stepped up their interest in the Pools boss over the weekend after dismissing Simon Rusk for a slow start to the season last week and now look to have gotten their man after Challinor made it known to the Pools board of his desire to leave and step back down for another National League project with the Hatters.

But while the why’s and wherefore’s surrounding Challinor’s decision to leave Victoria Park will rumble on, Pools must now turn their attention to who will fill the huge void being vacated in the Victoria Park dugout.

Luke Garrard

And it is National League leaders Boreham Wood we turn our attention to next and their boss Luke Garrard.

Although someway down the bookies list of potential candidates, Garrard could be another realistic option for Pools having demonstrated a prolonged period of stability and success in charge of Boreham Wood - something which Hartlepool will hope to have despite Challinor’s absence.

Garrard took over from longstanding manager Ian Allinson early in the 2015-16 season and would go on to keep the club afloat in the National League after winning the final three games of the season.

It was an important learning curve for the inexperienced Garrard who would then go on to consolidate the Wood’s place in the league before an incredible 2017-18 campaign where he guided the club to the brink of the Football League in the play-off final against Tranmere Rovers.

Foundations have been put in place surrounding the club’s infrastructure in recent years both on and off the field including the club’s Meadow Park home which suggests Boreham Wood have a brighter future ahead of them now they are an established National League club.

And a lot of that is down to the work of Garrard over the past six years to the point whereby they now sit among the leading contenders for a place in next season’s Football League.

Andy Woodman

Another National League manager for Pools to consider would be Bromley’s Andy Woodman.

Woodman is no stranger to the North East having enjoyed a five year spell at St James’s Park as part of Alan Pardew’s coaching staff before moving to Arsenal as a goalkeeping coach in 2018.

Woodman is cutting his teeth in management with the Ravens and went up against Pools in last season’s National League eliminator play-off at Victoria Park where he was very complimentary about Challinor’s side.

Woodman’s side are currently in play-off contention again this season but Pools supporters would perhaps be wary of the first half showing they saw of his side against them in last year’s play-off encounter where Pools raced into an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Bromley are among the National League’s leading scorers this season with Woodman favouring his side to be on the front foot and if the 50-year-old were to be chosen, he may well look to improve Pools’ goalscoring ranks by raiding the Ravens in January for striker Michael Cheek who once again finds himself towards the top of the National League goalscoring charts after a tally of 23 last season.

Michael Flynn

One man who would tick a number of boxes for Pools would be former Newport County boss Michael Flynn.

Flynn left the Exiles last month following ‘a period of dialogue’ with the club putting an end to his four year spell in charge.

The Welshman is among the leading candidates to land the vacant Cardiff City role which would present a problem to Pools should the Championship club firm up that interest.

Flynn helped oversee the most successful period for Newport since the club’s return to the EFL including a number of eye-catching FA Cup successes against Leeds United, Leicester City and Middlesbrough as well as taking the club to the League Two play-off final on two occasions and invariably leaves the club in a stronger position than where he found it.

Over his time in charge Flynn has been able to transition from a more direct brand of football which almost saw the club relegated to the National League into a more possession based brand with a similar set up in formation to Hartlepool which would certainly benefit the players at his disposal at Victoria Park if he were to follow on from Challinor.

Newport are currently two places above Pools in the League Two table but only by virtue of goal difference with the Exiles among the league’s leading scorers.

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