Meet this Sunday League Club Featuring Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans during a 6-2 victory against Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you boost a excellent experienced team that have secured back-to-back titles, including a double triumph boasting 30 victories from 32 games?

Recruit a raft of ex- professionals that have performed at the top tier of club and international soccer as you target additional honors.

A Greater Manchester side has an amateur veterans squad with 9 former top-flight players in their active lineup.

222 Top Division Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Appearances

Wythenshawe Veterans Over-35s are located in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Top Tier.

The lineup this season features 9 ex- top-flight footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League games.

The elite squad also contains 222 Premier League goals and 325 global appearances.

They feature one forward, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after signing for them for £9m from German league side SC Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six scores in a 6-2 win - including a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also includes former professionals such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have secured fifteen big honors and moved for combined transfer sums of about £123m.

Well-Known Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Republic of Ireland caps, scoring four scores

Ireland started playing for the team in preseason this summer through good mate and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided match, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and use an Blue training kit as their uniform.

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

"A friend Stephen told me 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

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

"If you still enjoy football and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"Those spectators who come and see are happy and to give 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 play, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, he made his debut at full-back.

"That's a bit unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"I warn my defender '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
Former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Unreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's six goals on debut, Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit five on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a triple in one game as a striker.

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

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, faced former Latics full-back Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for his country, in as well as featuring in over 200 top-flight games.

"It was going round like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League players," said Barrow.

"I think I was a little starstruck facing him to be honest.

"Even Emile [Heskey] got on and he's got over 60 English caps.

"We held our own for a good twenty minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.

"We really have not stopped talking about it - I was phoning 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 are eager for the return match."

We Will Still Win the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Top Division championship last season, together with his co-manager.

"Our team went one-nil ahead and had a

Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson

A tech strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and enterprise solutions.

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