Discover the Sunday League Squad Featuring Over 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for the team Vets in a six-two triumph versus their opponents on 19 October (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you enhance a excellent experienced side who have won consecutive titles, including a double triumph with 30 wins from thirty-two games?

Recruit a group of former pro players who have competed at the elite tier of club football and international soccer as you pursue further silverware.

One Manchester team boasts an amateur veterans team with nine former Premier League footballers in their active roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

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

Their squad list this season boasts nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 top-flight games.

This elite roster also includes over 220 Premier League scores and over 320 global caps.

The squad feature one forward, who scored thirty-seven goals in over 100 games for Newcastle United after joining them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse had his debut for the team in their most recent home-field match against defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also features ex- professionals such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League footballers have won fifteen big honors and transferred for combined transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Household Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won six Republic of Ireland caps, scoring four goals

Ireland started turning out for the side in preseason this summer through good mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then invited additional ex-pros, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five top-flight matches for the Toffees and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut versus the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He played for Everton from 2016 and 2020

"My mate Stephen said 'join and have a game, it's enjoyable'," commented the striker.

"After that he told me we were playing a side from the city and the shock I had when I saw them wearing Everton kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

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

"Those fans who turn up and watch are pleased and to make a day if they see us playing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the joy of us getting a place we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, he had his first game at defender.

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

"I tell my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep running.

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Unreal Feeling

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one match up front.

The team are leading of the Top Division with three victories from three and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for the opposition, came up against ex- Wigan defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to featuring in more than 200 Premier League matches.

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

"I felt I was a bit starstruck facing Figueroa to be honest.

"Even Heskey got on and he's has 60-odd English appearances.

"We held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"We literally have not ceased talking about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

We Will Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the opposition veterans team, who won the Top Tier title the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil up and had a

Holly Vargas
Holly Vargas

An avid skier and outdoor enthusiast with over a decade of experience exploring slopes worldwide.