Interim Offaly football boss Tom Coffey has been dealt an immediate blow with the news that Brian Connor will be spending the summer in Chicago.

The 22-year-old midfielder, who is a son of 1982 All-Ireland winning captain Richie, left for the 'Windy City' on Tuesday where he has been set up with a job and accommodation by the Wolfe Tones club. It's believed that Coffey made a last-ditch attempt to persuade him to remain at home for the championship, but the Walsh Island clubman wasn't for changing.

Connor was one of the few shining lights in Offaly's Allianz Football League defeat to Tipperary earlier this month which condemned them to relegation to Division 4. Richie Dalton, Sean Pender, Ross Brady and Niall Smith have also opted off the county panel at different stages this year, though it's likely they will come under pressure from Coffey to return before the Leinster SFC opener against Kildare on June 17. Tweet

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