Stockport and Bolton aim to end second-tier exiles

"If you'd have told me when I was player-manager at Colwyn Bay and managing in a regional division that I'd be in a play-off final and fifth visit to Wembley as a manager playing for a massive prize, absolutely never would I have thought that would be the case. " Dave Challinor has had an impressive managerial career, but almost a quarter of a century on from Stockport County's last spell in the second tier, he is one game away from leading them full circle back to the Championship. In 16 seasons as a manager, Challinor has managed Colwyn Bay, AFC Fylde, Hartlepool United and Stockport and has only finished outside the play-off places once during that period - which was also the Covid-interrupted 2019-20 season.

He has wrapped up seven promotions as manager including one at Colwyn Bay in his first campaign in charge, two with Fylde, one with Hartlepool and two with Stockport. Not only that, but he has won four league titles to boot. Asked about his immense promotion record, Challinor was diplomatic in his assessment to BBC Radio Manchester: "A whole host of people work so hard and go through so much to give ourselves the opportunity and we've got that opportunity.

"So we have to do everything now to make sure we do what we can to grab it. " Bolton Wanderers lost 2-0 at the start of the season to Stockport County and fought back to earn a point in a 2-2 draw in their most recent meeting in April [Shutterstock] Bolton's most recent chance of promotion back to the second tier came just two years ago, when they missed out on automatic promotion and entered the play-offs as most people's favourites for a return to Championship action for the first time since 2019. That year had seen Bolton go to the wall and almost go out of business altogether and the rebuild was delayed further by the start of their 2019-20 campaign being affected by a protracted takeover process.

However they fought back to League One at the first time of asking in 2020-21 and with Ian Evatt in charge, the club looked alive once more as they reached the play-off semi-finals in 2022-23 and one stage further in 2023-24. Yet their lacklustre 2-0 play-off final defeat by Oxford at Wembley was put down to "fear" by Evatt and, after his exit the following season, Steven Schumacher arrived to try to restore some glory to the club. Asked whether things are different this time around, Bolton defender George Johnston told BBC Radio Manchester the mood in the camp is different ahead of this particular trip to Wembley.