BLACKBURN Rovers defender Tony Kane is relishing the chance to prove himself at international level after boldly crossing one of football's great divides.

The 20-year-old, who holds an Irish passport but was born in Belfast, has decided to turn his back on the Republic of Ireland and commit his international future to Northern Ireland following a surprise call from new boss Nigel Worthington.

Kane, who is a product of Rovers' Youth Academy, looked all set for a career with the Republic after an administrative mistake by the Irish Football Association (IFA), the governing body of Northern Ireland, led him to seek his international future south of the border.

The full-back was originally picked for the Northern Ireland Under 21 squad last year but then had to drop out because the IFA had not registered him to play.

That error prompted Kane to switch his allegiance to the Republic, and he ended up playing in a couple of Under 21 friendly internationals, which included a creditable 2-2 draw with Germany.

However, the persuasive Worthington has since managed to convince Kane to reconsider his options, and the young defender is now firmly focused on the task of helping the North qualify for the finals of Euro 2008, starting with tomorrow's Group F clash with Latvia in Riga.

Reflecting on his surprise call-up, Kane, a regular member of Rovers' reserve side, said: "It's a bit of a surprise but hopefully if I get my chance, I can do well.

"I was out on the training pitch when Eddie Niedzwiecki (Rovers' head coach) called me over and said Nigel Worthington was thinking of putting me into the senior squad.

"I then finished training and checked my phone to find I'd got a voicemail off Nigel and he said he was going to pick me."

Kane thought he had burnt his bridges with the North after playing in the two Under 21 games with the Republic, but the fact they were only friendlies meant he could still switch allegiance.

And his decision to switch camps has got the full approval of his family, who are just delighted to see him get an opportunity at senior level.

"My family just said to me whatever I choose to do they'll back me 100 per cent," said Kane.

"It's a great challenge and if I get a start it would be brilliant because I'm a Belfast lad.

"I know I played for the Republic at Under 21 level but I think this is going to be a better opportunity for me in terms of my career.

"It's been on-going for a while and they told me not to say much about it.

"But now it's out in the open, I think I've made the correct decision and hopefully I can have a great future with Northern Ireland."

Kane will compete with Burnley's Michael Duff for the right-back spot for the key qualifiers against Latvia tomorrow and Iceland in Reykjavik on Wednesday.

And he hopes the chance to shine at international level may boost his hopes of breaking into the first team at Blackburn, where he is currently behind Brett Emerton, Andre Ooijer and Zurab Khizanishvili in the pecking order following spells out on loan at Cercle Bruge and Stockport last season.

"I really enjoyed my time in Belgium last season," he said. "The four or five months I was out there have really improved me a lot.

"Playing against top teams like Anderlecht and Standard Liege in front of big crowds, was a great learning experience.

"It's now up to me to see what level I can play at and how far I can progress back here in England."