Slocum wary of Kingdom

May 14, 2008
Despite being able to call on seven of last year's Munster championship winning side, Cork minor football boss Mick Slocum believes the Rebels will have their work cut out to overcome Kerry in Wednesday night's provincial semi-final. The former county star said: "With minors you never know how a game will go. They can let you down when you least expect them. "Kerry are never bad at this level and with a lot of success won at colleges level, they are going to be very difficult to beat. "This is the acid test for both counties. A win here and you could be involved in the championship up to at least August. We have put in a lot of preparation since we beat Limerick a couple of weeks ago, but you can be sure Kerry have done the same. "From reports Kerry have a number of very good forwards and we will have to defend very well to keep them out. I would be hopeful that if we can get a good supply of ball into our own forwards, they will do the business." Slocum's opposite number John Kennedy has made three changes to his side for the Pairc Ui Rinn showdown which throws in at 7.15pm. The Kingdom overcame Clare by 1-10 to 0-6 in the first round, but Kennedy has still decided to rearrange his side. Daithi Casey moves from right half forward to partner Wayne Guthrie at midfield with Shane Carroll losing out. Barry John Keane comes in for MT O'Sullivan at left half forward, while Cian Tobin is preferred to Niall O'Shea at top of the right. "We'll have no excuses if we are beaten. Our preparations have gone well, and it will come down to which team wants the victory most. There is great respect and rivalry between the counties and I'm expecting a right good contest," Kennedy said.

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