Stockport have been desperate to bring in Dave Challinor as their next manager, according to Sam Byrne - but reports today from BBC Radio Tees Sport (via Hartlepool Mail) suggest that they may have to start looking elsewhere for their new boss.

Challinor has worked wonders with Hartlepool since taking over at the club and now the side are back in the EFL, they show no signs of slowing down either. So far this season, they have stormed into the top half of the League Two table and may even be thinking about a push towards the play-off spots.

It's all come down to the hard work put in by their current boss in getting the team firing and playing together to pick up some positive results. The side also have a formidable home record too, having not lost a single tie on home turf so far this season.

It's made Hartlepool a difficult team to come up against and a side that you don't want to be facing on your travels. Stockport have taken note of the work done by Challinor in restoring Hartlepool to some of their former glories and are now eyeing up the manager as their next boss.

The non-league outfit are desperate to break back into the EFL themselves and want the manager to drop down out of the fourth tier to help them achieve their goals.

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However, reports today from BBC Radio Tees Sport (via Hartlepool Mail) have made it clear that the club certainly don't want to lose a man who has helped them achieve so much already - and the club's chairman Raj Singh has revealed he rebuffed Stockport in their efforts to try and poach him away.

Hartlepool then are holding firm and will not want to relinquish Challinor to any other side - and it means that Stockport may now have to draw up a fresh list of alternative faces they could have as manager.

The Verdict

Dave Challinor has been exceptional as manager of Hartlepool and it would be a huge blow to them to lose him.

He has worked hard to establish a winning mentality at the club again and it is so far paying dividends.

If he was to leave, it could set the club back again and it might ultimately not favour the boss either. Right now, he is in a situation where he is revered as manager of Hartlepool - and if he left, he might not succeed at Stockport and then would be left in a worse situation than he is now.