Kildare suffered defeat at the hands of Westmeath despite trailing by as many as five points at one stage in the tie at headquarters on Sunday afternoon.

The game, which was pushed back due to Ireland's clash with France, was played in front of a small crowd in dour conditions. While the action rarely, if ever, broke into top speed, Westmeath's comeback when down by five points was something to behold. 

The game finished 1-12 to 1-11 and while Kildare had what looked like a perfectly good goal ruled out close to the death, Cian O'Neill will be forced to rethink his strategy as a qualifier draw awaits that includes Cork, Mayo, Armagh/Laois along with either Meath or Dublin.

Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne