Introduce this Sunday Division Squad Boasting 1,800 Top-Flight Appearances

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

What do you boost a outstanding experienced team that have claimed consecutive titles, including a league-cup double with thirty victories from thirty-two games?

Sign a collection of former professionals who have performed at the elite level of club and international soccer as you aim for further honors.

One Manchester club boasts an amateur veterans team with nine ex- Premier League players in their present squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Veterans Over 35s are located in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Top Tier.

Their lineup this campaign includes nine former Premier League players, with a collective 1,801 Premier League matches.

The high-profile roster also includes 222 Premier League goals and 325 global appearances.

They feature one forward, who notched 37 goals in over 100 appearances for his former club after joining them for £9m from Bundesliga club Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for the team in their last home-field game versus defending title holders their rivals and scored every one of the six scores in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

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

Together, the former Premier League footballers have claimed fifteen significant honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of approximately £123m.

Household Figures and International Stars

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

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side during pre-season this summer through good mate and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all play in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 top-flight games for the Toffees and still goes to their home games, also had his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for the club from 2016 and 2020

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

"Then he told me we were playing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Everton kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"If you still love the game and you know you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to choose?

"The fans who turn up and watch are happy and to make a moment if they see us competing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

So great is the strength in depth at the club, he made his debut at defender.

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

"I warn my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to continue running.

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

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

Unreal Experience

In addition to Cisse's six scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for the side, while Boyd scored 5 on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

The team are top of the Top Tier with 3 victories from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

He has played at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to featuring in more than 200 top-flight games.

"It was spreading like a rumor they had all these former top-flight stars," said Barrow.

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

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

"Our side competed well for a good 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.

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

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a bunch of normal fellas.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager manages the opposition vets team, who won the Premier Tier championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We scored 1-0 ahead and had a

Crystal Hartman
Crystal Hartman

A software engineer and tech writer passionate about AI ethics and open-source projects, with over a decade of industry experience.