Stockport County have named Dave Challinor as their new manager ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers.
Challinor stated his intention to leave League Two Hartlepool United, who he guided to promotion last season, and has been named the new boss at Edgeley Park after Simon Rusk was sacked last week.
It will be something of a homecoming for Challinor who made more than 100 appearances for the Hatters as a player and could see him in the dug-out for the tie with Wanderers on Sunday in the FA Cup first round.
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He will be a familiar name to Trotters supporters as a former player of rivals Tranmere Rovers when the two sides met on several occasions in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Indeed then Bolton boss Sam Allardyce successful lobbied the Football League to ban Challinor, famous for his world record long throw, from using towels during the League Cup semi-final in 2000.
Allardyce was unhappy about Tranmere having strategically placed ball-boys around the ground with towels to help Challinor get a better grip on the ball and the practice was banned by the league ahead of the second leg of the last four encounter more than a decade ago. Rovers progressed to the final, losing to Leicester City, but Challinor is likely a name that plenty of Bolton fans will remember.
Coupled with the fact that Antoni Sarcevic has just left Wanderers to join ambitious Stockport and a tie that didn't exactly set pulses racing when the draw was made, suddenly has a fair element of spice.
Challinor's appointment at County was confirmed this week after Hartlepool released a statement on Monday night that seemingly had little room for doubt.
It read: "Dave Challinor has this afternoon informed the Hartlepool United Board that he wants to leave and join Stockport County FC.
"This follows an approach by Stockport to the manager through his agent during the course of last week, which Hartlepool United were informed of on Friday.
"As a club we were disappointed the first approach did not come direct to the club. Also that this was so soon after Dave signed a new three year contract.
"We believed we were building something special with Dave and this squad - matched by the magnificent support the team has received, home and away.
"Therefore, we declined a request from Stockport for permission to speak with Dave on Sunday.
"However, after speaking to him again on Monday, he has verbally notified us of his intention to leave.
"Ultimately, it is crucial that the manager of our club is 100% committed to the job. Dave had made it clear he wants to leave.
"Coach Anthony Sweeney will take charge of the team for Tuesday’s fixture with Everton and for the immediate future as interim manager while the Board consider its position in relation to this matter."
