DEFENDER Mickey Corcoran is back in contention to play for Oxford United against fellow play-off hopefuls Burton Albion tomorrow - after Northern Ireland slapped a ban on him playing for the U's against Dagenham & Redbridge.

Corcoran, who is on loan to Oxford from Championship side Cardiff City, was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for their European Under 21 Championship qualifier in Romania last weekend.

But the teenager failed to arrive at the airport on Saturday morning for the flight to Bucharest.

And the Irish FA then invoked FIFA's five-day rule to stop him playing in Oxford's top-of-the-table Nationwide Conference clash with the Daggers on Monday night.

The five-day rule is to stop players pulling out of representing their country in competitive matches, usually because of injury, and then playing for their club just a day or so later.

Northern Ireland Under 21s lost the game in Romania 2-0.

United manager Jim Smith said he had no complaints about the Irish FA's action.

He opted to play a back three of Luke Foster, Barry Quinn and Phil Gilchrist against the Daggers.

And Corcoran, first used by United as a centre back and then as a right back, looked as though he might struggle to get his place back in the side because of the emergence of Luke Foster.

But there are one or two players who have knocks, and Smith says Corcoran is now back in with a strong shout of facing Burton at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow.

"Corcoran didn't play for Northern Ireland," Smith confirmed. "He was left out because he didn't travel to Romania and Ireland banned him from play- ing.

"We could not play him because they in- voked the five-day rule - quite rightly - so he wasn't eligible to play.

"I'm not saying I would have played him anyway, because he looked a bit tired in the previous game and he's had a lot of games for a young lad.

"But that rest now will now definitely put him in contention."

Smith added: "There will be changes as we've got one or two knocks and players might not be fit for Saturday who would have played, but we're going to leave it as long as we can."

The U's boss said he wanted to keep it under wraps which players were a doubt for the game.