Offaly have moved quickly to fill the managerial vacancy left by the resignation last Tuesday of Michael `Babs' Keating, and yesterday announced the appointment of Michael Bond from Ardrahan in Co Galway.

The new man in charge met the Offaly players for the first time at a training session in Tullamore last evening, and he will now take charge of the preparations for the county's All-Ireland quarter-final tomorrow fortnight. The draw for the quarter-finals will be made at 7.30 p.m. tomorrow night in Thurles.

Bond, who is principal of St Brigid's Vocational School in Loughrea, played at minor, under-21 and senior level for Galway and was a regular on the senior side from 1968 to 1974. He has trained a number of club teams in Galway and also trained Galway county teams at minor, under-21, junior and senior level.

He was the manager of the Galway under-21 side which defeated Kilkenny in the 1983 All-Ireland final, which was played in Tullamore.

Keating's resignation came after his criticism of the Offaly players after Sunday's defeat drew a public rebuke from long-serving Offaly player Johnny Pilkington.

Offaly have now looked outside the county for their last four managers: Bond, Keating, John McIntyre (Tipperary), and Eamon Cregan (Limerick).