During this time he spent two weeks training with Manchester United in summer 2002 and participating in an International under 17 tournament in Portugal[1] and making his league debut aged 17 years and three months against Bristol City in October 2002.
His progress at Peterborough was affected by a broken leg towards the end of the 2002–03 season[2] and, in a bid to recover fitness, he joined Farnborough Town on loan in November 2003,[3] remaining for two months and scoring twice in nine league appearances.
Despite his initial promise, Semple struggled to have a regular place in the Peterborough team and, in four seasons, he made just 15 league starts, with another 26 appearances from the substitutes' bench.
A hamstring injury coupled with a lack of form limited him to just four substitute appearances in the league in his first season whilst a loan spell with Chester City[5] was also unproductive.
[12] In April 2009, he signed dual forms with Haverhill Rovers to help them in their quest to avoid relegation from the Ridgeons League Premier Division;[13] Semple works with their manager Peter Betts.