Steve Diamond admitted there were plenty of improvements to be made, but insisted the result was all that mattered as Newcastle Falcons booked themselves a Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final.

Their 22-17 victory over Gloucester means that Bath will visit Kingston Park on Friday in a 7.45pm kick-off, with ticketing details available by clicking here.

Speaking after his side’s quarter-final triumph, which included a hat-trick from hooker Jamie Blamire, the director of rugby said: “We’ve come a long way if we’re talking about beating Gloucester to reach a Cup semi-final, and still not being happy.

“Some people will say it’s Gloucester’s kids and all the rest of it, but it’s basically the same side which went to Exeter two weeks ago and beat their Premiership team.

“Fair play to them, judging by that performance they’ve got some great young players, and they put in a big performance tonight. We just couldn’t get rid of them, and they should be proud of that effort.”

Diamond added: “We had to go back to the real basics of driving maul to win the game, and our set-piece functioned well. We had loads of red-zone entries and only scored three tries, so obviously we need to be more clinical.

“The turnover rate won’t be pretty on Monday morning when we go through the video, but you’ve got to empower the lads to make decisions out there on the field. They went for the corner at the right time – I possibly might have kicked a few more penalties just to keep the scoreboard moving, but you have to let the players make those calls.

“We could have been much better out there, clearly, but cup rugby is just about winning. If we go on and lift the trophy nobody’s going to remember that quarter-final where we just snuck through, so in that sense it’s job done.”

Relishing the prospect of a home semi-final, and a home final if they progress further, the Falcons boss said: “Of course Bath next Friday will be a massive test, and I’d expect them to go strong in terms of selection.

“Once you get to these stages of competitions it’s all about bringing you’re A-game, and both teams will want silverware.

“We want to take this opportunity with both hands and deliver a home cup final for our supporters, and I’m sure the people of the region will come out and get behind us.”