OFFALY COUNTY BOARD chiefs remain confident that Declan Kelly will be their next U21 football team manager – despite his resignation less than 24 hours after ratification.

It has emerged that Kelly and his selectors Benny O’Brien and David Connolly had not agreed to take up the roles before they were officially installed at a county board meeting on Wednesday evening.

But county board secretary Tommy Byrne has expressed his hope this morning that Kilconfert clubman Kelly will still take up the position.

Kelly resigned from the U21 post less than 24 hours after he was rubberstamped by Faithful County top brass but moves are afoot behind the scenes to resolve the impasse.

“It’s not a big story. The chairman assumed he had accepted it, he hasn’t accepted it,” Offaly county board secretary Tommy Byrne told The42 this morning.

“Declan Kelly hasn’t said that he’s not taking the job but he has said in an email that went out to clubs that he hadn’t agreed fully that he was taking the job.

“It’s not fully agreed at the moment but hopefully it will be.”

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