To have seven promotions on his CV after 16 years is a stellar achievement. He knows what it takes to be successful in League One, having guided Stockport County to back-to-back third-placed finishes.
But what was Challinor the player like? Richard Fidler was Challinor’s team-mate for the England Schoolboys Under-18s side during the 1993/94 season after both came through a rigorous four-stage selection process. Fidler was a year younger than most of the squad while Challinor represented Cheshire and was already in the final year of school.
Former Rotherham Advertiser editor Fidler vividly remembers the first time he witnessed Challinor’s remarkable long throw. “It was unlike anything we had ever seen before,” he said. “During our final England Schoolboys camp before the matches started, Pete Amos, the manager, asked if anyone had a long throw. Dave put his hand up and launched one miles beyond everyone at the back post. I’m sure the manager said something along the lines of: ‘If you had shown us that at the first trial, you wouldn’t have to come back again!’
