They say good things come in threes, but I don't think they were talking about bone fractures.

A triple fracture of his tibia and fibula nearly ended the career of Mark Peters before it had really begun: "They put a full metal bar in the length of my leg and told me that I'd never play again."

He wasn't listening though. A badly scarred left knee is testament to the extent of the surgery he had to face, a total of nine operations to correct an injury which, he added, was "the same as David Busst's", that being the one which forced the Coventry midfielder to retire and left Peter Schmeichel, who had witnessed it at close hand, needing therapy.

The matter-of-fact way Mark talks about such an horrific injury is reminiscent of the no-nonsense displays United fans will be used to seeing from him on the pitch.

Born in St Asaph in Wales, the birthplace of Ian Rush, Mark started out in the youth set-up at Manchester City: "It was brilliant there, I was in one of the best youth teams in the country, we got to the FA Youth Cup final and I played with some great players."

But first team football was always going to be a tall order at such a big club, and via Norwich City Mark found his way to London Road and into first-team football: "I'd been playing reserve team football for five years, and I just needed to get some first team experience. There were other clubs interested but Peterborough gave me the firmest assurance of first team football."

Not wanting to dwell for too long on the idea of Mark Peters in a Posh shirt, we move briskly on to talking about Cambridge United. Mark has previously won back-to-back promotions with Rushden & Diamonds and is confident that success with the U's is a possibility: "You need a good defence, but if you're scoring goals it breeds confidence, and if you go down in games you always believe you can come back.

"We've shown that this season - we're coming back to win games whereas perhaps before we might just have got a draw."

He is, however, keen not to look too far ahead, well aware that any achievement is preceded by a lot of hard work: "We can't take our eye off the ball; we've got a really tough period with three matches against Histon now, Burton will be coming here and wanting revenge, the Wolves game will of course be very tough, so there's a lot of hard work to get through in the coming weeks and we've got to stay focussed."

On the subject of the upcoming contests at the Glassworld, Mark recalls last years 5-0 hammering there with wistful regret: "The situation last year was something we were all disappointed about. Any player who had a shirt on that day was disappointed, but it's a different story now; we're much better organised, we're a better side.

"But we're also professional, and whatever happened last year we're looking at these matches as an opportunity to take six points, or progress in the Trophy, so that's what we will aim to do."

That Histon result was the precursor to an abysmal run of league form which threatened the very existence of the football club, as the trapdoor to oblivion opened ever wider for a United side bereft of confidence.

Mark was absent for long periods last season but was delighted to be able to play his part in the great escape as Cambridge rallied to win five of their last seven: "When you're out it's the most frustrating thing, especially as an experienced player when you feel you could really be helping out.

"Eventually I got back in and I think we only lost a couple of games in the latter stages. I was proud to keep a club like Cambridge up, and the run we're on now is testament to the hard work that went on last season too, it's a continuation of that."

So what has been responsible for the tremendous turnaround? Mark acknowledges the impact of the new signings, but stresses the continued improvement of the players who were already at the club: "Jimmy and Alan have got the best out of the players, not just the new lads but the ones that were already here, and that's down to organisation.

"Things behind the scenes like the training facilities have improved; what we do before training, during it and after it - everything now is a controlled environment and it's working for us - long may that continue."

He does highlight why this more professional approach has not always been possible, and reserves some sympathy for the previous management team, who endured a constant struggle against prohibitive circumstances: "A lot of our previous problems stemmed from finances really.

"I felt sorry for Rob (Newman) and Tony (Spearing); you'd ask what's happening and they'd tell you they want a training ground but they have to pay for it and can't afford it. We'd end up over on the common sometimes and people just didn't realise how tough it was to be moved around and not be settled. It really was very difficult circumstances."

The outlook is altogether more positive now, and speaking of the FA Cup third round tie at Wolves which is now just a week away, the man they call 'Rhino' is charged for the occasion: "In ties like this the home crowd expect their team to be three up after 20 minutes, so we have to go there and frustrate them and unsettle the fans and then who knows? With the players we've got and the form they're in anything can happen."

He is particularly complimentary about the young in-form striker Scott Rendell, and believes the U's may have unearthed another gem: "Scott is on fire at the moment and to be honest I think he could be even better than Robbie Simpson. He's had the grounding of academy football at Reading, and whereas Robbie has had his degree to worry about, Scott can concentrate completely on football. He's got so much potential."

Mark has taken on added responsibilities this term in a semi-coaching role, which he describes thus: "Usually it involves relaying information from the management to the team, and on some days the manager might ask me to take seven or eight players away to do some defensive work too.

"It's something I quite enjoy. I've worked with some good coaches and have always been keen to learn from them, so it's something I'd definitely like to do later in my career."

When recalling the many coaches from whom he has learned, Mark would surely include the current management team as one of the best and he was quick to praise them for their meticulous approach, which is geared towards getting the best out of the whole squad.

"The psychology of a football player is very important," he says. "You've got to get the best out of 20 players or more, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. If you can get them to concentrate on the positives and push the negatives to the back of their mind you can get the best out of them. Credit to Jimmy and Alan, that's what they're doing here, and the results tell you it's working."

Indeed they do, and it might be worth considering that this season's dramatic improvement owes as much to positive thinking and self-belief as it does to technical ability.

I asked Mark about something we fans talk about on a regular basis; the concept of loyalty. For fans the mantra is this: one team, and one team only, but how might a professional footballer at a non-league club marry the concepts of loyalty and ambition?

It's a question which has been raised once more by the circumstances surrounding Michael Morrison's reluctance to sign a new contract, provoking some to question his loyalty, but Mark Peters offers a credible and sincere defence of his team-mate: "I think you've got to say Morro has been loyal. Every time he plays for Cambridge he gives his best, that's a guarantee, and he always will, to me that's loyalty.

"The problem arises when bigger clubs show interest, and every person, whatever their job, wants to better themselves. If Morro gets the chance to do that I'd be the first person to wish him good luck," he says, before tantalisingly concluding, "because everybody wants to play in the Premier League."

He may have let his guard slip there, but not many strikers have got much change out of Mark Peters this season.

At thirty-five you might think it's safe to assume that he won't be playing for much longer, but age is no issue to the ever-reliable centre-back, and if the U's should find themselves in the Football League next year, Rhino is confident he could do a job: "I've never been concerned about age, if you're fit enough then you can put yourself in there to play, and that's what I'll do."

Well, there's a vision to warm your heart on a cold post-Christmas Saturday afternoon: Mark Peters lining up in a Cambridge United shirt to play a Football League match, and who knows... maybe it will be at London Road!

Russell Greaves

*This interview was originally published in the programme for the match against Burton Albion on Saturday 29th December, 2007

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