Derek Lyng: 'We lost all the battles in the second half'

Clare manager Brian Lohan and Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng after the game

Derek Lyng conceded Kilkenny lost “all the battles” to Clare in the second half of this All-Ireland semi-final.

It wasn’t only just the failure to score from the 58th minute onwards that lost his side this game but it was crucial after Billy Ryan’s goal put them six points ahead 11 minutes earlier.

"We were in a strong position when we got the second goal. We didn't kick on when we should have. We tried making a few changes to get a spark back into us but the momentum was with Clare.

“The reality of it is that they won all the battles. That was my feeling on it. They were attacking it better, in front of the man, and when they were winning all the battles around the pitch, we struggled on the back of that. They deserved it in the second half."

Trying to regain the lead in the closing stages having held it for so long was always going to be difficult, Lyng said. “We tried to wrestle it back. In fairness to the players, they never stopped trying. As always, their effort was outstanding. But it's a tough one because I felt we were in a really strong position and we didn't see it out.

“We didn't play well enough. I'm just disappointed overall. Even though we were six points ahead, I thought there were aspects of our play that were still a little bit off. So that's a little bit disappointing."

Lyng felt Kilkenny should have been more than five points ahead at half-time with all the goal openings they had. “When you're on top, you have to be scoring, you have to take your chances.

“We had our spell when we were dominant. The last day we were very efficient, whereas today we probably weren't as efficient. I'm not sure of the stats but in the second half you know Clare are going to come at you.

“It's always been the same. They come at you and they obviously got more points on the board today. Another couple of points obviously would have been a big help going in and at the end as well."

He complimented Clare for not relenting. “They forced their way into the game. From their point of view, they had a difficult start and we were on top. But as the game wore on, they probably got the better of us.

“Not only that, I thought it was all over the pitch, in lots of places. It wasn't just their forwards. We found it hard to stop that momentum. They're a top-class team. From our own point of view, we're just disappointed because I felt we didn't show our best form today."

Lyng revealed Adrian Mullen had been injured last month but was involved in training in the build-up to this game. Mullen was replaced in the 63rd minute and didn’t score.