Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor looking forward to Tranmere Rovers return in League Two

The 45-year-old started his professional playing career at Tranmere back in 1994 and remained at the club for eight years before joining Stockport County in 2002.

Challinor played 140 Football League games for Rovers and captained the club for their League Cup final defeat to Leicester City at Wembley Stadium in 2000.

Since then, he has established himself as a successful manager in non-league football and has now made the step up into League Two with Pools.

Challinor’s success at Victoria Park saw him linked with the vacant managerial position at Tranmere back in May prior to Micky Mellon’s appointment.

And after guiding Pools to three wins from their opening four games in League Two, Challinor is expecting a good contest against a Rovers who missed out in the play-offs last season and have won just one of their opening five league games to start the new campaign.

But he will be hoping for a more positive experience than his previous visit to Prenton Park as a manager where he saw his AFC Fylde lose 4-1 on Boxing Day 2017.

“It’ll be a great game and personally great for me to go back there,” Challinor admitted.

“Hopefully the result doesn’t follow from the last time I went back there although we did get our revenge a few days later on New Year’s Day when I was at Fylde.

"It’s brilliant for us to go there and we’ll be going there looking to show how good a team we are and to try and pick up three points.

“I don’t know what type of reception I’d get but I’d hope [it’s positive] because it’s my first club and I’ve had some special times there.

"Tranmere as a club is similar Hartlepool in the fact there will be people working there who worked there back when I was a player back in the late 90s, it’s that type of club.

"They’ll be looking to get promoted and I’m sure our supporters will make a great atmosphere behind the goal and make people stand up and take notice of us not just on the pitch but off it as well.”

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