Hartlepool United are delighted to announce that First Team Manager, Dave Challinor, has signed a new contract with the club.
The new three season deal will run until summer 2024.
After being appointed in November 2019, Challinor led the new Pools side to a ninth-place finish, just three points from the play-off position with the season being cut short due to the COVID pandemic.
In Dave’s first full season in charge at Hartlepool United, Pools incredibly sealed promotion. A fourth-place finish in the league saw Pools take-on Bromley and Stockport in the play-off quarter and semi-final respectively before the ‘Promotion Final’ at Ashton Gate. A Brad James penalty save in the shootout saw Dave Challinor lead Pools back to promotion with the 45-year-old becoming a Football League Manager for the very first time.
Now managing 82 games in charge at Pools, Challinor has a 46.3 win percentage since coming through the doors at The Vic. 38 wins, 22 draws and 22 defeats have seen Pools re-enter the Football League and establish a great run of results that sees the club have the best home record in the country.
Chairman, Raj Singh has continuously motioned the idea of securing the manager longer-term and is delighted to see Dave sign on the dotted line:
“I am absolutely delighted to finally see Dave sign his new contract. It’s obviously something that has been talked about for some time and in the background myself and Lee Rust have been working very hard to secure Dave for some time now.”
“I know the fans have been eagerly awaiting this announcement and it’s fantastic to finally break that news. I also know that some of the fans were concerned that we wouldn’t secure Dave and equally I’m pleased to be able to put those doubts to bed.”
“It was very important for the club to secure the correct contract with Dave that is manageable but that also puts another absolutely critical piece of the jigsaw in place for years to come.”
“We’ve discussed the longer-term vision and there is so much more that this club can go on to achieve with the right plan and people. The work in that sense has only just begun and we have some more announcements to make in the coming days and weeks further to this one. It’s a very exciting time for the club and its fans.”
After expressing his interest to stay, Dave Challinor spoke about his delight after committing his future to the club:
“Absolutely delighted. It is good to put things to bed and sign on that dotted line. Thankfully we have got there, and we can now all look forward.
“The welcome me and my family have had at the club has been extraordinary. Since I came in, I knew how big the club was for this town but probably didn’t expect the connection between one club and its fans to be so big.”
“The supporters have been on this journey every step of the way. They need to know that this is their club. They will be here long after we are, and they are pivotal to the success. The support isn’t just about the games on a Saturday, you can see it throughout the town. The big thing for me was the bus parade. Seeing the amount of people who came out. From little kids with their dad’s to the older generation waving from their window. It makes it easy to fall in love with Hartlepool.”
“My job as a coach is to make this team, this Football club better. We have had great success since I came in. There is a lot of optimism around Victoria Park at the moment. It has become a special place to play, we need to make sure that continues whether we continue getting the good results or not. It is essential we keep this club in a place where it is always positive and forward thinking and I am excited for the journey ahead.”