Worthington recalls Cathcart

Soccer: Blackpool defender Craig Cathcart has been recalled to the Northern Ireland squad for their opening Euro 2012 qualifier…

Soccer:Blackpool defender Craig Cathcart has been recalled to the Northern Ireland squad for their opening Euro 2012 qualifier against Slovenia in Maribor on Friday week.

The 21-year-old, who joined the Seasiders from Manchester United in the summer, could be in line for his first cap after missing May's friendlies with Turkey and Chile and the friendly in Montenegro earlier this month.

There is no room in the 20-man squad, however, for either Paddy McCourt or Niall McGinn of Celtic. The latter is recovering from a broken metatarsal but the former has been in good form for Celtic so far this season, having scored one in two appearances.

Fulham defender Aaron Hughes has returned after injury, while 17-year-old Wolves winger Johnny Gorman has kept his place and could make his first competitive appearance for his country.

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Gorman, who is still at school, is also still to appear for the Wolves first team.

Cathcart is the only uncapped player in the 20-man party. Manchester United pair Jonny and Corry Evans are both in the squad, the latter impressing in the recent friendlies despite also not having played a competitive first-team game for the Old Trafford club.

There is no place in the squad, though, for the Evans brothers' United club-mate Oliver Norwood.

Northern Ireland will be hoping for a better result than they got the last time they travelled to Maribor, when they suffered a 2-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier in October 2008.

Northern Ireland squad:Maik Taylor (Birmingham), Jonathan Tuffey (Inverness), Alan Blayney (Linfield); Jonny Evans (Man Utd), Stephen Craigan (Motherwell), Craig Cathcart (Blackpool), Gareth McAuley (Ipswich), Aaron Hughes (Fulham), Chris Baird (Fulham); Grant McCann (Peterborough), Chris Brunt (West Brom), Jonny Gorman (Wolves), Corry Evans (Man Utd), Steven Davis (Rangers), Sammy Clingan (Coventry); David Healy (Sunderland), Warren Feeney (Oldham), Kyle Lafferty (Rangers), Martin Paterson (Burnley), Rory Patterson (Plymouth).