Derek Lyng has stepped down as Kilkenny senior hurling manager after four years in charge of the Cats.Lyng, who succeeded Brian Cody in August 2022, guided Kilkenny to three consecutive Leinster senior hurling titles between 2023-2025 but they failed to progress beyond the round-robin stages of this year’s provincial competition.It is the first time since the introduction of the group format that Kilkenny have not advanced to the All-Ireland series.When appointed in 2022, Lyng became the county’s first new senior hurling boss in over two decades after Cody had brought the curtain down on his 24-year reign.Lyng, who won six All-Ireland senior hurling titles and ten Leinster crowns as a player, had also served as a member of Cody’s back room team from 2014 to 2019.He managed Kilkenny to Leinster and All-Ireland under-20 glory in 2022 before replacing Cody in the senior position. [ Joe Canning: Modern hurling doesn’t suit Kilkenny or they can’t get their heads around itOpens in new window ]“Derek’s contribution to Kilkenny hurling over almost three decades has been immense. His commitment to the county has never been in question, and he has always carried out his role with honesty, integrity and pride,” said Kilkenny chairman PJ Kenny.“On behalf of Kilkenny County Board and the people of Kilkenny, I would like to sincerely thank Derek for his outstanding service as a player, selector and manager. We are deeply grateful for everything he has done for Kilkenny hurling and wish him and his family every success in the future.”Kilkenny won just two games in this year’s Leinster senior hurling championship, beating Kildare and Wexford. They drew with Offaly but losses to Galway and Dublin left them in fourth place after all the group games had been completed.Speaking in the aftermath of their defeat to Dublin at Parnell Park last week, Lyng said: “A lot of players that got runs this year, that will certainly stand to them. They’ll be in a much better place to start the season up next year, no question about it.“Kilkenny will win All-Irelands again and we’re going to have to just get our heads down and we have to keep working at that.“We have to take this one on the chin, unfortunately it has not been good enough this year and a lot of work will need to go in and continue over the next few years to make sure that we get back to the top.”The two-time All Star hurler did manage Kilkenny to the 2023 All-Ireland senior hurling final but they came up short against Limerick in that decider.Kilkenny’s last Liam MacCarthy triumph was in 2015. The Kilkenny County Board say “the process of appointing a new Kilkenny Senior Hurling Team Manager will now begin.”Henry Shefflin, who is the current Kilkenny under-20 manager, will be among the early front-runners namechecked as a possible replacement, as will current Kildare senior manager, and Kilkenny native, Brian Dowling.Former Kilkenny goalkeeper David Herity has built up an impressive coaching CV too and it is not expected the county board will look outside the county for a new manager.