Sunderland, Birmingham City links send Stockport County early warning concerning League One success: View | OneFootball

Stockport County have received two warning shots so far in 2024 that show what League One success could mean for Hatters boss Dave Challinor.

The 48-year-old took over the Greater Manchester club in November 2021 after leaving his position at Hartlepool United, and has since led the side out of the National League, through League Two and up into League One.

That, coupled with his strong managerial record before arriving at Edgeley Park, means that links further up the pyramid, most recently to Birmingham City and Sunderland, are becoming a more regular occurrence.

It's something that County fans may need to get used to if Challinor gets his side off to a good start in the third tier.

Links away are becoming more common

The first link came at the beginning of last season, with BBC Radio Manchester reporting that Challinor had been interviewed for the Charlton Athletic vacancy.

Things went quiet after that, but rumours reignited once more at the end of the season, with high-profile roles at Birmingham and Sunderland becoming available and both struggling to land initial targets.

With the latter two roles, there was some dispute as to how strong the links were, with journalist Sam Byrne confirming that Challinor had not been interviewed for the Blues job, and similar for the Black Cats role, but reports from Alan Nixon suggested the Hatters boss was a name mentioned at the Stadium of Light.

It therefore appears that the strength of the various links differs from case to case, but the mere fact that Challinor's name now pops up frequently when this level of vacancy appears is a testament to both where County are as a club, and the job that the manager has done.

The traditional 'sacking season' when autumn rolls around, will no doubt see further shifts in the hot seats at various Championship and top-end League One clubs. If Challinor has proven he has what it takes to step up to the third tier, he will only become more attractive to onlooking employers.

Few could blame Challinor for taking the step up

That Challinor is linked to jobs higher in the pyramid is of little surprise when you consider the record he has earned since swapping playing for management.

Kicking off his managerial career at Colwyn Bay, before gigs at AFC Fylde and Hartlepool eventually led him Edgeley Park, Challinor already has seven promotions to his name - including his recent League Two title win - and has never finished outside the play-off places in any full season as a boss.

The only drawback for potential employers is his lack of experience at a higher level, as he currently enters uncharted management territory with County in the third tier.

Despite seeming comfortable in his current role, few Hatters fans could blame Challinor for taking a step up to the Championship, for ex-Premier League sides like Birmingham and Sunderland who have their sights set on the top flight in the not-too-distant future, regardless of where they find themselves now.

If it ever happens, it will likely be some time before County are in a similar bracket, with similar resources. No job in football is guaranteed, even Challinor at County, and he may never get these opportunities again.

Taking the job at clubs like Birmingham could present greater risk

That being said, the type of clubs that Challinor's name has been linked to may present a much greater risk than his current role.

At Edgeley Park he has endeared himself to the fans, he has a solid backroom structure behind him and a club owner in Mark Stott that most managers would dream of dealing with.

At the likes of Birmingham and Sunderland the picture is much messier; multiple changes in management, somewhat more distant owners and a much more expectant fanbase, where Challinor's reputation will stand for little with the majority.

Pressure to get off to a good start in a job like this would be high and, as Wayne Rooney showed at St. Andrew's, a tide can be difficult to turn when a series of poor results sets in.

Challinor deserves to be linked with moves further up the pyramid and will continue to be linked if he makes a solid introduction to the third tier, but while County are still growing and progressing, he may be best served staying put for the time being.