Cork attacker Patrick Kelly sees Sunday's All-Ireland football semi-final as an opportunity to make amends for the heavy defeat he suffered as a minor to Dublin seven years ago.

Kelly was a member of the Cork minor team which lost the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final to Dublin by 1-18 to 1-9, and he hasn't forgotten the experience.

"I remember myself and Daniel Goulding roomed together the night before, and we barely slept at all. I was fairly nervous that day, playing in Croke Park for the first time," he recalled.

"The match just went by in a flash and they were well over us. There's a good few of the Cork lads from that team on the senior now though - myself, Goulding, Shielsy, Cadogan, Kerrigan, Alan (O'Connor), Fintan (Goold) and (John) Hayes.

"There doesn't seem to be too many of the Dubs there though. I think Ger Brennan is the only one, but I do remember Mark Vaughan was very impressive that day."

Cork didn't have to content with a blue-clad Hill 16 on that occasion, but it will be a different story on Sunday when as many as 60,000 Dubs could be in Croke Park.

"It was Armagh and Donegal playing in the senior that day in 2003, so there wasn't a huge amount of Dublin fans. Hill 16 wasn't really a factor," he said.

"It's going to be different now. The signs are that it'll be a full house in Croke Park and it's going to be fairly partisan against us with Dublin. But I'm looking forward to the occasion. Look, most of the times in Cork football matches, we're outnumbered in support. When you get to an All-Ireland semi-final and final, the Cork support does start to come out but there's been a good hardcore that have followed us this year through the qualifiers. For those fans it's nice that we're reaching All-Ireland semi-finals."

Kelly puts the Rebels' indifferent form this summer down to the fact that they have played so many games in the backdoor series.

"It was a really difficult schedule this summer. It was only when the games finished after the Roscommon one that you realise how much it took out of you, playing four weeks in a row. You're almost empty," he explained.

"We haven't hit top form but we've been playing tough games and winning them. Apart from the Cavan one, which was a cakewalk, they've all been tough challenges. It was lashing rain down in Wexford, which made it very hard to play, and then, against Limerick, we had it sewn up in normal time before a few crazy minutes cost us and we needed extra-time. I really think people under-estimate Limerick and they know well how to stop us at this stage." Tweet

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