John Askey praises ex-Hartlepool United boss ahead of Stockport County reunion

For Askey and Hartlepool United there is nothing left to play for after the club’s relegation from the Football League was confirmed following the 3-1 win over Barrow.

But for former Pool boss Challinor, and Stockport, there remains plenty at stake.

County need a win, coupled with Northampton Town slipping up against Tranmere Rovers, to secure what would be back-to-back promotions for Challinor and his side.

And Askey, who will be starting out on a promotion quest of his own at the Suit Direct Stadium in the National League next season, believes Challinor has proven how good a boss he is in recent seasons, including with Hartlepool.

"He’s done fantastic,” said Askey.

"He did a great job at Fylde and then when he came into Hartlepool he did an unbelievable job to get them into league football – I’m sure he’s disappointed with the club going down.

"But he’s gone into Stockport, where there’s massive expectations with the money being spent, and he’s done another terrific job.”

Challinor swapped the Suit Direct Stadium for Edgeley Park in November 2021 after taking the decision to leave Hartlepool just months after securing their return to the Football League.

It was a move which continues to cause some controversy with Hartlepool chairman Raj Singh discussing Challinor's exit in a recent club interview after confirming he will be putting the club up for sale.

Challinor has gone on to enjoy huge success with the Hatters but Askey suggests you cannot compare the two clubs, despite this being Stockport’s first season back in the Football League compared to Hartlepool’s second.

"I think if you have a look at Stockport, and the money they’ve spent, they’ve got a better chance than most in the league to do that,” said Askey.

"They’ll have a bigger budget, I would have thought, than Leyton Orient and teams above them so it’s no surprise they’ve done what they’ve done.

"I was hoping they didn’t want anything from the game and we did and they made one or two changes but, as its panned out, it doesn’t really matter.

"The only thing that matters is putting on a performance for the supporters.”