Mark Peters

Having been sidelined for weeks by a pre-season foot injury, Mark Peters returned to first team action last Friday night and marked his return with a headed goal against Exeter.

Unfortunately, although it was the first time United had led a game all season, it wasn't enough to secure a much-needed win and after the game Rob Newman and Tony Spearing lost their jobs.

"It wasn't really a surprise because you can't expect to go six games and get one point with the standard of players we've got," admits Mark, at 34 the elder statesman of the dressing room.

"We've got good players, but we hadn't done well enough in the games and as players we let Rob and Tony down. We can talk about systems and everything else all day long, but basically they put eleven players out there on the pitch and they haven't performed and they've let them down.

"They're two really nice people and I've been at clubs with both of them before and they're very well respected," he adds, "and it's sad that so early in the season they've got the sack, bearing in mind what they achieved last year.

"Last season with hardly any budget and a very young squad we managed to get 12th place, so I think the expectations based on that for this year were very high. But one point from the first six games is not what anyone expected and I suppose it couldn't continue.

"They were unlucky with injuries too," Mark continues. "Myself, Andy Duncan and Dave Bridges all played over 30 games last season and all three of us have been out.

"Ritchie Hanlon is an experienced player who played well last year and he's been out too, and those things don't help when you consider there are still a lot of young lads in the squad. They can look up to us and have a chat, or just get a little spark off what we do and how we are in training, and it made it very difficult for everyone.

"The Gaffer had brought in players so he had two for every position so everyone's under pressure to play well, and yet the eleven was picking itself because so many players were unavailable."

For the last ten days, Chairman Lee Power and former U's boss Chris Turner have been in charge of first team affairs as prospective managers are interviewed, and the players have had to concentrate on the future.

"Obviously the lads have chatted about it and most people have rang the manager to wish them all the best for the future, but everyone's jobs are on the line so now we have to get out there and try and resurrect the season for the club and for the fans and for ourselves," says Mark.

"We've let Tony and Rob down, we've let ourselves down, and most of all we've let the fans of the club down, and that's something we have to resurrect now because we need to start winning games to get the fans back in."

On the current regime, he reveals, ""Chris Turner has come in and he's spelt out to each and every player exactly what he wants, how he wants us to play, and told us that hard work is the only way out of this situation so that's what we've been concentrating on.

"We're going back to 4-4-2 and basically defenders are concentrating on defending. The full backs aren't really going to be asked to get forward as much as they have been doing, and basically we have to get the ball up into the opponents' half and then let the players up there do what they can do to score the goals. The back four is there to keep clean sheets and the rest are there to win the game, and that's what we've been working on."

Mark is the same age as new Chairman Lee Power and they even played together briefly at Norwich City, so he admits that it is unusual to meet up again under such different circumstances.

"The Chairman has been very involved in things and he's come across very well. He's been in our position as a player, he knows what it's all about and he's been quite vocal, which I think the lads needed. He's told everyone exactly what he wants from them and what he expects, and I think it's been good to work with him.

"It is strange that we're the same age and that I played at Norwich with him and now to see him as Chairman, but fair play to him, he's done well and hopefully he'll keep doing well."

Mark reveals that he has been helping Power and Turner in this interim period, assisting with the organisation and some aspects of training, and telling them about the players they haven't seen in the first eleven.

"There are a lot of bodies around the building apart from the eleven you see on a Saturday so I've been helping them out with who does what and where they play and what are their strengths and weaknesses.

"The Chairman has also asked me to do the warm-ups in the morning and get everyone prepared for training and it's been good for me. The lads have all been really good with me and I'll keep doing it as long as they want me."

There has been plenty of speculation about the identity of the next manager and those names have a wide range of experience and backgrounds. Asked for his thoughts, Mark says, "It's difficult because there are so many managers out there with good credentials, but you're looking for someone who's obviously used to working with a tight budget and getting the best from a small squad of players.

"Organisation is also a big thing. We have to float from one training ground to another and you have to organise the players and the training ground and get the stuff there, and it's a very demanding job for whoever takes it. Not only have they got our team to worry about, but they need to watch the opposition and get scout reports, and there's just so much more to it than people might think.

"I'm sure whoever comes in is aware of all that and it's just a case of instilling in the players how he wants us to play and getting the best out of us."

With just two points from our first seven games, is there still time to challenge at the top of the table as everyone hoped before the season?

"In our current situation the expectation has got to be to get ourselves out of the mess and start winning games. Obviously getting points is the biggest thing at the moment and it might have to be scrappy at times and we might have to get ourselves stuck in more, but we need to win games," Mark acknowledges.

"If we can do that, then the expectations will come with the more games that we win, but the main thing now is to put what has happened behind us and start looking forward from now."

Mark signed off in the last game of last season with a goal, and returned last Friday with a goal, and he hopes to keep contributing at both ends of the pitch.

"It was in difficult circumstances. I'd been out for six or seven weeks and I was asked to play a little bit earlier than I should have done, but I was more than prepared to do that.

"There was a bit of controversy over the goal - I don't know if someone in the crowd blew a whistle but I definitely heard a whistle - but I just decided to stick the ball in the net anyway and it's lovely to go up there and score a goal.

"Last year I got four and 'Morro' got four and I think Duncs chipped in with three and obviously that's all going to help if we can get some goals from set pieces.

"It was lovely to finish 12th last season because at the start there were just four players signed on, a very young team, and what we did over the season was very good. Although we're in a bad position at the moment, the main thing is we've still got plenty of time and plenty of games to start clawing our way back up the table."

The new deal Mark signed in the summer means he is eligible to play for both Cambridge United and the CRC reserve side, and he will also help with some coaching of the youngsters as he aims to develop that side of his career.

"I was pleased to sign again and it's good experience for me to work with the youngsters.

"I've been fortunate to play from when I was 16 and I've had some cracking managers over that period and some great coaches.

"Every time I take a session I really enjoy it and I think I have a lot to pass on to younger players through basic experience.

"From the fact that I've been out there and I've been through it, I think they can relate to me and hopefully I can help them and get more into coaching because I do really enjoy it."

But for the moment, he hopes to combine his coaching ambitions with playing as many first team games as possible and helping the U's to climb the table: "Every professional will say you ought to play as long as you can, but if the opportunity is there to do a dual role that would be superb because I would be learning the coaching side of things and playing at the same time.

"It's great to be fit and back in the side again and obviously I want to stay in the side as long as possible. We need to keep clean sheets and if we can do that the rest of the team can go on and win the game for us.

"The main thing is to try to make sure our place is as secure as it was last year, when it was the place where we picked up all our points.

"If we start doing that again and then pick up points away from home I'm sure we won't be far off when we start climbing the table, because that's what we've got to do. We have to fight our way back up."

Finishing with praise for the supporters, Mark says, "We can't fault the support they've given us. It's difficult for them, they come to the games and they've already seen us lose three times at home, but hopefully by putting on some good performances and getting some wins they'll keep supporting us and we'll get the crowds back up.

"They've been different class and we've only got ourselves to blame."

My favourite game:
"It was probably my league debut for Peterborough United at Leicester. I think there were 26,000 people there so that made it an even big occasion for me. I was about 21 and it was a relief to finally play my first game, and it was a fantastic atmosphere and I played quite well, so it was a good start. Spearo was on the same team as me, too."

Andrea Thrussell

*This interview was first published in the programme for the match against Kidderminster on 12th September, 2006.

Previous Featured Players:
11Sep06: Jordan Collins (scholar)

Last season's Featured Players:
16May06: Jon Brady
04May06: Tommy Jaszczun
26Apr06: David Bridges
20Apr06: Scott Howie
13Apr06: Craig Westcarr
22Mar06: Andy Duncan
15Mar06: David Bridges
01Feb06: David Chick
08Dec05: Michael Morrison
29Nov05: Ritchie Hanlon
25Oct05: Stephen Smith
05Oct05: Fola Onibuje
29Sep05: Mark Peters

15May05: Your Players of the Year 2004/05

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