Westmeath star Denis Glennon has revealed that he was given permission by manager Pat Flanagan to line out for his club in a league game last Tuesday.

Eyebrows were raised when Glennon, goalkeeper Darren Quinn and forward Ger Egan featured for Tyrrellspass against Mullingar Shamrocks in a county league fixture five days before tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Kerry.

"We got permission to play from Pat," Glennon revealed in The Irish Daily Star. "Our team has the most county players and it's only a small village so it was struggling without us.

"The team were winning no games and we couldn't stand by and let the team be relegated from Division 1."

Manager Flanagan did not attend county training on the same night as he was with his son Wayne who was one of nine people stabbed at last Saturday's concert in the Phoenix Park.

Glennon has been selected at right corner-forward on the team to face the Kingdom at Mullingar while Quinn (goalkeeper) and Egan (centre half-forward) have also been included.