Stockport County manager Dave Challinor is brimming with excitement as his side stands just one game away from reaching the Championship—a feat that would mark the club's first return to the second tier in 24 years. "It's amazing," Challinor said after County's dominant 2-0 semi-final second-leg win over Stevenage on Wednesday, securing a 3-0 aggregate victory and a spot in next Sunday's League One play-off final at Wembley.

This remarkable journey began in 2020 when owner Mark Stott set an ambitious seven-year target to take the club from the National League to the Championship. Now, with three years to spare, Challinor's squad is on the cusp of achieving that goal. "Even if you're the most optimistic person, and I think the owner is, I don't think anyone else would think a plan to get this club back into the Championship would be exactly on track," Challinor told BBC Radio Manchester.

The Hatters' path has been anything but easy. After relegation from the second tier in 2002—following a golden era around the turn of the century—the club faced a steep decline, including financial struggles and six seasons in the National League North from 2013 to 2019. But the tide turned with promotion back to the Football League in 2022, followed by a League One promotion as fourth-tier champions in 2024. Now, the near-25-year odyssey to return to the second tier is just 90 minutes away from completion. Notably, the club has never competed in the Championship in its current format; the second tier was still called Division One when they last played there.

Challinor, who has won seven promotions in 16 seasons as a manager—including two with Stockport—acknowledges the weight of the moment. "It's the biggest step and the hardest step, but it's an opportunity, and that's all you can ask for," he said. "The supporters have been fantastic. It would be great for the players and the staff to thank the fans. Hopefully, we'll get the ultimate opportunity to thank them by holding up a trophy at Wembley a week on Sunday."

While the achievement so far is impressive, Challinor remains focused on the task ahead. "It's not lost on me how well everyone has done to get us to this situation, but I know that if things don't go our way and we don't get promoted, there's always going to be a sense of disappointment. We'll take all the pats on the back for getting this far, but we need to finish the job."