Kildare captured the 2008 Leinster U21 football championship with a great 0-10 to 0-6 victory over Wexford at Wexford Park. The Model County's chances suffered a fatal blow when Daithi Waters was sent off for a second yellow card offence at the start of the final quarter. And, with five minutes remaining, the pressure started to show as Kildare pulled clear. The losers didn't raise a flag in the last 19 minutes of this decider and they trailed by 0-8 to 0-6 at the time of the sending-off. But two late points from centre forward Eoin O Flaitheartaigh gave the visitors some breathing space and handed them the undoubted tonic of a Leinster title. The Lilywhites led by 0-3 to 0-1 after ten minutes: Peter Hughes fired Wexford into an early lead but there were swift replies from Alan Smith (2) and O Flaitheartaigh. It was 0-4 apiece ten minutes later but O'Flaitheartaigh notched two more scores to hand the winners a 0-6 to 0-4 interval cushion. Wexford were gunning for a first-ever success at this level but were ultimately undone by five points apiece from Smith and O Flaitheartaigh and a commanding performance from Kildare centre back Gary White. Kildare - N McConnell; C Brophy, D Brennan, S Murphy; J Browne, G White, T Byrne; M Waters, N Higgins; D Whyte, E O Flaitheartaigh 0-5, K Kelly; S Fahy, A Smith 0-5, G Smullen. Subs: J Fogarty for Higgins, M O'Sullivan for Fahy, E O'Sullivan for Kelly. Wexford - P Kavanagh; T Hayden, C Lawler, A Murphy; P Whitely, C Murphy, J Kehoe; D Waters, D Farrell; S O'Neill, P Hughes 0-1, B Traynor; S Roche 0-3, E Doyle, B Hearne. Subs: T Barron 0-2 for Traynor, M Molloy for Kehoe, A Moore for O'Neill, S Carmody for Doyle, D Reck for Hearne. Ref - E Kinsella (Laois) Tweet

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