Kilkenny IHL: 'It hurt everyone' - Larkin on Village relegation and new hope for 2025
The Village got their 2025 season off to a winning start on Saturday afternoon
James Stephens manager Eoin Larkin believes his panel have 'turned a corner' and are now in a place to 'move on' after the disappointment of relegation last year.
James Stephens (The Village) began life outside of the senior grade for the first time since 1955 on Saturday, beating St Martin's 1-20 to 0-17 in the Group A of their Michael Lyng Motors Hyundai Intermediate Hurling League opener. - READ MORE HERE
"Last year obviously was difficult and it hurt everyone in the club and I’m sure the players the most but look they’ve turned a corner this year. We spoke about it at the start of the year but there’s nothing we can do about it now. We just have to move on and do the best we can this year," Larkin said after the match.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game so delighted to get the two points first and foremost," he added.
Youth appeared to be the policy of the day for the Village's new management team, which includes Eoin Larkin and Jackie Tyrrell, with impressive showings from Oisin Bateman, Sean Deeley and Ruairi Harrison evident in the city club's six point victory.
"We have a young group and we have good lads coming through, a couple of minors from last year and some still minor this year and then some more experienced but still kind of young," Larkin continued.