Dave Challinor has been around the block when it comes to football's most dramatic moments—and he's about to add another chapter to his storied career. The Stockport County boss admits it's "unthinkable" that he could be on the verge of leading his side to the Championship, especially given where his journey began.

Challinor took the reins at Stockport in the 2021-22 season when the club was still in the National League. Since then, he's masterminded two promotions, transforming the Hatters into a League One force. This weekend, they face Stevenage in the play-offs—their second consecutive top-six finish in the third tier—as they aim to return to the Championship for the first time in 24 years.

"We have an opportunity that everyone's worked the socks off for from the start of the season—to become a Championship team, a Championship club, with Championship players," Challinor told BBC Radio Manchester. "I remember saying when we were in the National League that everything for me was about being an English Football League manager. To be able to say what I'm saying now is unthinkable from where I was five years ago."

And he's not wrong to feel that way. Challinor's managerial résumé is nothing short of remarkable. Over 16 seasons, he's managed Colwyn Bay, AFC Fylde, Hartlepool United, and now Stockport—and he's only finished outside the play-off positions once. That exception came when he took over at Hartlepool midway through the 2019-20 season, finishing 12th in a campaign curtailed by COVID.

His trophy cabinet tells the story: seven promotions as a manager, including one at Colwyn Bay in his first season, two with Fylde, one with Hartlepool, and two with Stockport. Oh, and four league titles along the way. "I've been through absolutely everything the play-offs can throw at you," he says. "I've lost in an eliminator, won an eliminator, lost in a semi-final, won in a semi-final, won a final, lost a final."

Now, he's hoping to add a victory that would cap off an incredible rise—from the National League to the brink of the Championship. As the pressure builds, Challinor keeps it in perspective: "Is there pressure? Of course there's pressure, but we're in a really privileged position to be one of four teams still competing for a play-off place to join Cardiff and Lincoln in the Championship."

For Stockport fans, the dream is alive. And for Challinor, the unthinkable is suddenly within reach.