Discover this Weekend Division Club With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Vets during a 6-2 victory against Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you enhance a excellent experienced squad that have claimed back-to-back championships, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Sign a group of former pro players that have performed at the elite level of club football and international football as you aim for additional honors.

One Greater Manchester side boasts an non-professional veterans squad with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their present lineup.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, 325 Global Appearances

The team Vets Over-35s are situated in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire Veterans Division Premier Division.

Their squad list this season includes nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a combined nearly 1,800 elite appearances.

This high-profile team also includes over 220 Premier League goals and 325 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who scored 37 goals in over 100 appearances for his former club after signing for them for £9m from German league side Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his first appearance for the team in their last home-field match against defending champions their rivals and netted every one of the six scores in a six-two win - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

The team for this campaign also includes former pros such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former top-flight footballers have claimed fifteen major trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of around £123m.

Famous Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, scoring 4 scores

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side during pre-season this season through close friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then asked additional ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek small-sided game, to participate.

Ex- Senegal forward Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 Premier League matches for Everton and even now goes to their home games, also had his debut versus the opposition - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Blue training kit as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse featured for Everton from 2016 and 2020

"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'come and have a game, it's good fun'," said Niasse.

"Then he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I say this is strange for me!

"If you still love the game and you know you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"The fans who come and watch are pleased and to make someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at the club, Niasse made his debut at defender.

"It's a bit unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"I tell my centre-back 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to continue attacking.

"The running is what I'm seeking. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Unreal Experience

In addition to the forward's six goals on debut, Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a hat-trick in one match up front.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Division with 3 wins from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his young boy who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over 200 Premier League matches.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," remarked the player.

"I felt I was a bit starstruck playing against him to be honest.

"Even Emile [Heskey] got on and he's has over 60 England appearances.

"We competed well for a solid 20 mins but then we had a man sent off and it was tough.

"We literally haven't ceased talking about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the way home.

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a group of normal fellas.

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

We Will Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition veterans team, who secured the Top Tier title the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a

Nancy Chase
Nancy Chase

Elena Rodriguez is a senior technology strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and enterprise solutions.