Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng says a win was what mattered most in yesterday’s Allianz Hurling League opener against Antrim.

A young Cats side came away from Corrigan Park with a 1-18 to 0-15 victory thanks to late points from Billy Drennan, who finished with 1-8, Billy Ryan and Martin Keoghan that denied the plucky hosts.

Speaking to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 after his first competitive win since taking over from Brian Cody, Lyng said that while the performance “wasn’t perfect”, the result was paramount/

"We had a lot of young players on the pitch today and to get through that and to have that experience of what it takes was hugely important," he stated.

"Look, ultimately we got the result at the end, it wasn't perfect, but that’s ok."

On the Leinster champions’ altered approach, Lyng added that they are working on lots of different things at the moment: "I'm not sure if it's a new style of hurling. A lot of people talk about it. I'm not caught up in it. Ultimately, when they get on the pitch, they have to be able to make decisions.

"We're working on lots of things, of course we are. But when you get out on the pitch, players need to play what's in front of them."

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