Acting Dublin manager Dean Rock admitted that they didn't get the performance they "would have liked" after they were taken to the brink by Wicklow in their Leinster quarter-final in Aughrim.
The Dubs narrowly avoided suffering a first-ever championship defeat to Wicklow, Paddy Small's 58th minute goal proving crucial as they held on to win by two points in the finish - a margin of victory which would have been unthinkable in the fixture only a couple of years ago.
Rock, who has assumed official manager duties after regular manager Ger Brennan failed in his effort to get his 12-week suspension overturned, conceded it was a "mixed bag" display but that the main positive was the result.
"A win is a win. I suppose the one positive out of it is the outcome," Rock told RTÉ Sport.
"We didn't get the performance that we would have liked. We did at different stages of the game.
"But look, credit to Wicklow. The crowd were well behind them. They played with a lot of physicality and played with a lot of really good football and put us under a lot of pressure coming into that last quarter.
"Just very thankful, I suppose, to get over the line and to have another game in 13 days' time (against Louth)."
After Small's goal made it 2-16 to 2-11, they looked to have weathered the worst of the storm but that was followed by a near-traumatic final 10 minutes, with Wicklow dominating possession and missing a host of chances.
Dublin were reduced to 14 men on 67 minutes when substitute Liam Smith was sent off and subsequently Eoin D'Arcy scored a two-pointer for Wicklow to make it a two-point game. But the favourites held out to prevent a historic shock.
"It's just trying to get that consistency across the four quarters," said Rock. "With the new game nowadays, there's so many momentum shifts. You can be five or six points up and quickly back to level or a point behind.
"[We're] just trying to manage that momentum a little bit better going forward.
"There's a lot of debutants there today as well and a lot of fellas who are getting used to playing championship football. It's a different experience and it's a different pace and intensity to even the league itself.
"Full credit to Wicklow. They never let up and obviously the red card at the end. You're defending in your own half with 10 players versus 11 so it's quite difficult and it was quite warm here today as well.
"It's a mixed bag performance, to be quite honest with you. But as I said, they found a way and they're in the hat and they're in a position to put in a better performance in two weeks' time."
Rock has stepped into the manager's bib on a temporary basis for match-days after Brennan's appeal against his 12-week suspension to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) was unsuccessful on Saturday.
Brennan had been suspended for his part in the fracas at half-time in their league defeat to Galway in Salthill.
"I think we've accepted the fact that Ger won't be with us for the foreseeable future," said Rock.
"I think I got the short straw for that one. Ger asked me to step into the breach for a couple of weeks. I'll do my best for Dublin GAA over the coming weeks.
"Just looking forward to it. This is the time of year that everyone wants to be involved in Gaelic football. The lads in there have a wonderful opportunity in 13 days to put in an improved performance and see where it takes them."
Dublin did lose Con O'Callaghan at half-time and Eoin Murchan to a possible concussion, though Rock stressed that neither were too serious.
"Con just felt a little bit tight and there was probably no point taking too much of a risk with him at that time.
"He's [Murchan] fine. Just a head injury. He's talking away there and he remembers a decent amount of the game. It was a nasty collision but thankfully he's OK."
As was noted by most present, the biggest cheer of the day from the Dublin supporters occurred when the result from the Meath-Westmeath game was read out over the PA system.
Meath's surprise exit from the Leinster championship may have seen the provincial favourites' tag restored to Dublin, notwithstanding their narrow quarter-final victory.
However, they are now set to take on the reigning champions Louth in Portlaoise in the semi-final, who carried their strong league form into championship with an emphatic dismissal of Wexford on Sunday.
"Louth are the kingpins of Leinster football. They're the number one team in Leinster.
"We'll have a massive, massive challenge ahead of ourselves in 13 days' time. It's a mouth-watering game to look forward to."
Watch Cork v Limerick in the Munster Hurling Championship on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Mayo v Roscommon in the Connacht Football Championship on Sunday from 3.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
