Cork youngster O’Connor comes in for Gardiner

AN All-Ireland minor medal winner in 2001, Cian O’Connor takes over the right half-back position from the injured John Gardiner on the Cork team to play Wexford in next Sunday’s Guinness All-Ireland SHC semi-final at Croke Park.

It will be a tough baptism of fire for the 20-year-old versatile Erins Own defender who was on the Cork U-21 beaten in the Munster final by Tipperary last week.

H only senior championship start came against Kerry in the opening round of the provincial competition when he played at left corner-back.

He was drafted in when Wayne Sherlock cried off injured, and Brian Murphy of Bride Rovers transferred from left to right corner-back.

O’Connor played at right half-back when Erins Own lost to reigning champions Newtownshandrum in the TSB County SHC recently.

Speculation had been rife that the Cork selectors might recall Pat Mulcahy or selected Micky O’Connell at midfield to allow Tom Kenny to drop back to fill the right half-back position vacated by Gardiner.

However, now the dye is cast, it will be interesting to see how the youngster, a winner of four county minor medals and an U-21 medal, performs on the biggest day of his sporting career.

Mulcahy and O’Connell are listed in the substitutes’ panel, as is Jonathon O’Callaghan.

Following the runaway quarter-final victory over Antrim, the selectors gave a vote of confidence to the other 14 players who participated in that win.

Wexford are due to name their side tonight but wing-forward Paul Carley is still on the doubtful list.

Scorer of a crucial goal in the Leinster final victory over Offaly the talented Carley damaged ankle ligaments in a recent club football game.

Fit again Paul Codd looks like being the obvious replacement should Carley miss out but Diarmuid Lyng could also come into contention.

Better news for Wexford however, is that centre-forward Eoin Quigley has fully recovered from a hamstring injury and is expected to start, while the Yellowbellies’ other injured player, Barry Lambert, is given a 5-50 chance of playing.

Kerry manager Jack O’Connor is expected to recall the promising Declan O’Sullivan when he announces his side tonight to meet Dublin in the mouth-watering Bank of Ireland All-Ireland SFC quarter-final clash between two of the game’s greatest rivals at Croke Park on Saturday.

O’Sullivan, who fractured a collar bone in training prior to the Munster final, is well again as he displayed in a recent challenge match featuring the senior and U-21 squads.

However, Seamus Moynihan, who took part in that game and played for the full 60 minutes, resisted any physical challenges.

Dublin will be without the injured Dessie Farrell and Colin Moran, who has still not recovered full fitness, having broken his arm early in the summer.

Derry, who meet Westmeath in the other quarter-final tie at Headquarters on Saturday have a doubt about the availability of full-forward Paddy Bradley.

The current team captain sustained a heel injury while playing with his club Glenullin recently.

Another worry surrounds corner- back Gerard O’Kane, who damaged ankle ligaments, also in a club game with Glenullin. He is reported to have less than a 50-50 chance of starting.

If O’Kane is ruled out the likelihood is that former captain Sean Marty Lockhart will come back into the frame.

CORK (SHC v Wexford): D. Óg Cusack; W. Sherlock, D. O’Sullivan, B. Murphy; C. O’Connor, R. Curran, S. Óg Ó hAilpín; T. Kenny, J. O’Connor; B. O’Connor, N. McCarthy, T. McCarthy; K. Murphy, B. Corcoran, J. Deane. Subs: P. Morrissey, J. Browne, P. Mulcahy, G. Callinan, P. Tierney, M. O’Connell, J. O’Callaghan, G. McCarthy, J. Anderson, M. Coleman, M. Byrne, J. P. King.