Soccer: Peverley called in as cover for Brown

Cole Peverley (right) of the Oceania All Stars chased by LA Galaxy's David Beckham during the 2008 match in Auckland. Photo / Getty Images

Cole Peverley, the Team Wellington midfielder, is the temporary replacement for downed All White Tim Brown.

Barring a medical miracle for Brown, though, Peverley will not only join the training camp in Austria, but remain for the World Cup in South Africa.

Brown will have surgery in Auckland today on his shoulder fracture. Team medics say it is very difficult to know before the surgeon strikes just how long a broken humerus will take to mend. The odds on Brown being a safe fitness bet in three weeks are enormous and a sports medic told the Herald it would be almost impossible for a fracture to mend properly before the World Cup starts.

Peverley was in the 2008 Olympic team. His only full senior appearance was not an auspicious one, when he started in the late 2008 Olympic qualifying loss to Fiji in Lautoka. That team contained only three players, Ben Sigmund, Leo Bertos and Glen Moss, who could be considered certainties in Ricki Herbert's top lineup.

Peverley was in the training camp in Auckland and played for New Zealand A.

Brown was injured during New Zealand's 2-1 friendly loss to Australia at the MCG on Monday, after tangling and falling with Vince Grella.

It may be a couple of days after the operation before the surgeon can advise Brown on whether he may go to the World Cup in South Africa.

The All Whites have until June 14 - 24 hours before their opening match against Slovakia in Rustenburg - to name replacements.

The 21-year-old Peverley leaves today for Austria where the All Whites play Serbia on Sunday morning, and Slovenia the following Saturday.

Peverley is unlikely to see action in Europe or South Africa, though.