Introduce this Sunday Division Team Boasting Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Vets in a six-two win versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (from left to right) - one player, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you boost a stellar experienced team who have secured consecutive championships, including a double triumph with thirty victories from thirty-two matches?

Sign a group of ex- professionals that have performed at the elite level of club and international football as you aim for additional silverware.

A Greater Manchester team has an amateur veterans team with nine ex- Premier League footballers in their active squad.

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

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are situated in south the city and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Premier Tier.

Their squad list this campaign includes 9 ex- Premier League footballers, with a combined over 1,800 elite appearances.

This elite team also includes 222 Premier League goals and over 320 international caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 games for Newcastle United after joining them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his debut for the team in their last home match versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six scores in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also features former pros such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have won 15 significant trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of about £123m.

Well-Known Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Irish caps, netting four scores

Ireland began turning out for the team in pre-season this summer through good mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegal forward Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 Premier League matches for the Toffees and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus the opposition - who are located in the city and use an Everton training kit as their strip.

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

"A mate Stephen said 'come and play, it's a laugh'," commented Niasse.

"After that he told me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Blue kits - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still love football and you know you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"The fans who turn up and see are happy and to give a day if they see us competing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his debut at defender.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Unreal Feeling

Along with the forward's six scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit 5 on his debut appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

The team are leading of the Premier Division with three victories from three and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for his country, in as well as featuring in over two hundred Premier League games.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League stars," said the player.

"I think I was a bit awestruck facing him to be honest.

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

"We competed well for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group really haven't ceased talking about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the journey home.

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

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager manages the opposition veterans team, who secured the Premier Division title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We scored 1-0 up and had a

Jonathan Monroe
Jonathan Monroe

Elara is a certified life coach and writer passionate about helping others unlock their potential through mindful living and goal-setting strategies.