We’re pleased to confirm that we will be hosting an informal evening of conversation with Matt Jansen and Dave Challinor, hosted by Club President Steve Bellis, to raise money for Stockport County Community Trust’s Health and Wellbeing programmes.
The event, in the 1883 at Edgeley Park, will take place on Friday 8th November from 7pm, with Janny and Chally joining us to talk about their careers in the game.
Tickets are priced at £55 per person and includes a welcome drink, a two-course meal and a signed copy of Matt Jansen’s personal story, What Is, What Was And What Might Have Been.
Matt Jansen
Matt Jansen is currently Assistant First-Team Coach at Stockport County, and a former Premier League star remembered for successful spells at Carlilse United, Crystal Palace and Blackburn Rovers. A hero at Ewood Park, Jansen lifted the League Cup at the Millenium Stadium in 2002, scoring the opener in Blackburn’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
In 2019, Matt released his autobiography ‘What Is, What Was And What Might Have Been.’ – telling the story of a horror incident that Jansen never entirely recovered from in 2002.
During his time at Blackburn, Jansen was called up to the England national team and was widely tipped to be part of England’s squad at the 2002 World Cup, narrowly missed out on selection at the last minute.
While England battled it out in the Far East, Jansen took a holiday to Rome, where he was involved a serious traffic accident. He suffered a brain haemorrhage, and slipped into a six-day coma.
Thankfully, Matt survived and was back playing for Blackburn just four months later. Unfortunately, he was unable to recapture the instinctive genius that had previously defined him at the top level of the game. His book tells the inspirational tale of his recovery and the challenges that he faced along the way.
Janny later had spells at Bolton Wanderers, Leigh Genesis and Chorley, before moving into management with Chorley in 2015. The 46-year-old first came to Edgeley Park in 2020 as part of our recruitment team, before becoming an important part of the backroom staff for the Club’s title wins in 2022 and 2024.
Dave Challinor
Dave Challinor is a man who needs no introduction to County fans. Having captained the Hatters as a player, he now leads the Club as our manager – his association with Stockport County is well documented and his contribution to our success will never be forgotten.
Challinor played for the Club between 2002-2004 as a centre-half following a successful spell at Tranmere Rovers, where he received international acclaim for his trademark throw-ins – holding the world record at the time for the longest throw-in in football.
Since stepping into management, Challinor has forged an incredibly successful career, with a promotion record that is unrivalled in the lower leagues – seven in total, with Colwyn Bay, AFC Fylde, Hartlepool United and most recently, County. Earlier this year, he became the first manager in Stockport County history to guide the Club to two league titles, as his brilliant side were crowned Champions of League Two.
To buy your tickets for the event and hear from Chally and Janny, click here.
