Introduce this Weekend Division Club Boasting Over 1,800 Premier League Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for the team Veterans in a 6-2 victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - one player, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you improve a stellar experienced team that have claimed back-to-back championships, including a double triumph boasting 30 victories from thirty-two games?

Bring in a collection of former professionals who have performed at the elite level of club football and global soccer as you aim for additional honors.

A Greater Manchester side fields an amateur vets team with 9 former Premier League players in their current roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

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

Their roster this season includes nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League appearances.

The elite roster also includes 222 top division goals and over 320 international caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from German league club Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for Wythenshawe in their most recent home match versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

The roster for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former Premier League footballers have claimed fifteen major trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of around £123 million.

Famous Names and International Stars

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

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the team in pre-season this summer through good friend and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side match, to join in.

Ex- Senegal forward Niasse, who scored twelve scores in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and still goes to their home games, also made his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and wear an Everton training kit as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He played for the club between 2016 and 2020

"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'join and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.

"After that he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I thought 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 do?

"The people who come and watch are happy and to make a day if they watch us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us getting a place we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, he had his first game at full-back.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Dreamlike' Scenario

In addition to Cisse's six goals on debut, Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a hat-trick in one match up front.

The team are leading of the Top Division with 3 wins from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for the opposition, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in over two hundred Premier League matches.

"It was spreading like wildfire they had all these former top-flight stars," remarked the player.

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

"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's has 60-odd English caps.

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

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

"They were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a group of normal guys.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

'We'll Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate vets side, who won the Premier Division title the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a

Jennifer Oneill
Jennifer Oneill

A blockchain technology specialist with over a decade of experience in developing decentralized solutions for enterprise applications.