'A tough one to take'

Kilkenny's Eoin Cody and manager Derek Lyng ahead of the All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Tipperary at Croke Park ©INPHO/James Crombie

Derek Lyng made no attempt to hide his disappointment after Kilkenny's All-Ireland SHC semi-final loss to Tipperary.

Despite being two points up with a numerical advantage heading down the home straight, the Cats couldn't seal the deal as Tipp stormed back to snatch victory courtesy of substitute Oisín O'Donoghue's late goal and extend the Cats' All-Ireland wait to a record 11 years.

"It's a tough one to take," the Kilkenny manager said in an interview with RTÉ.

"It will be a tough one to take for Kilkenny supporters, and the players as well. They're a devastated group in there.

"When you concede three [goals] before half-time, you're always going to be under pressure. I thought we started the game very well. We were managing the game pretty well to that point, and maybe a sense of panic when the first goal went in, I'm not sure.

"But credit to our players, I thought they responded really well, particularly in the second half. It looked like we got control of the game again.

"But conceding the fourth goal, you're going to have to do an awful lot to win a semi-final when you concede four. I would have been disappointed with the goal. I think we had the ball, we lost the ball, had it again maybe.

"Sometimes when you go down a man, the effort just ups and you chase everything down. We weren't urgent enough then to use the spare man better."