Discover this Weekend Division Team Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for the team Vets in a 6-2 triumph versus their opponents on October 19th (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you boost a outstanding experienced squad who have secured back-to-back championships, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Sign a raft of former professionals that have competed at the top level of club football and international football as you target additional trophies.

A Greater Manchester club boasts an non-professional veterans squad with 9 ex- Premier League players in their present squad.

222 Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Appearances

The team Veterans Over-35s are situated in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Top Tier.

Their roster this season includes nine former top-flight footballers, with a combined nearly 1,800 top-flight matches.

The star-studded squad also contains over 220 Premier League goals and over 320 international caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 goals in over 100 games for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side Freiburg in 2012.

He had his debut for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field match against reigning title holders their rivals and netted all six goals in a six-two win - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also includes ex- professionals such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former top-flight footballers have secured fifteen major trophies and transferred for combined transfer sums of around £123m.

Well-Known Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Irish appearances, scoring 4 scores

Stephen Ireland began playing for the side in pre-season this season through good friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five top-flight games for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also had his debut against the opposition - who are located in the city and use an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"A mate Stephen Ireland told me 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"Then he informed me we were playing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Blue shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?

"Those spectators who come and see are happy and to give a day if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, Niasse had his debut at defender.

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move forward - I'm not staying back that much," he added.

"I warn my centre-back 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.

"That movement is what I'm looking for. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Unreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's six scores on debut, Ireland has scored 8 in three games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a triple in one game up front.

The team are leading of the Top Tier with three victories from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the flank for the opposition, faced ex- Wigan defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his young boy who Heskey was.

He has appeared at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in more than two hundred Premier League games.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," said the player.

"I felt I was a bit awestruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

"Even Heskey came on and he's got over 60 English caps.

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

"Our group literally have not stopped talking about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the way home.

"They were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of regular guys.

"Now we can't wait for the return fixture."

'We'll Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition vets side, who secured the Top Division title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"We scored 1-0 up and had a

Nicole Cohen
Nicole Cohen

A tech enthusiast and digital strategist with over a decade of experience in analyzing emerging technologies and their impact on society.