Winning was all that mattered to Brian Flanagan after his Kildare side set up a Tailteann Cup final showdown with Limerick on July 12 with a 1-13 to 0-9 victory over Fermanagh.

Substitute Brian McLoughlin’s second half tour de force lit up a dour contest at a wet and sparsely-attended Croke Park.

"That wasn't pretty at all," Flanagan admitted in an interview with RTÉ.

"I don't think the highlights reel will take too long on TV! Probably a hard watch for people, but from our point of view, a semi-final is there to be won. There's obviously a little bit of history on the negative side with Kildare coming to Croker in the last few years and not winning.

"Winning was everything today and moving on for three weeks' time and knowing that we won't get away with a performance like that.

"But it was enough to win today. It won't be enough in three weeks, but we are delighted to win."

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