Discover this Sunday League Club Boasting Over 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for Wythenshawe Veterans in a six-two win versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you enhance a excellent veteran team who have secured back-to-back titles, including a double triumph boasting thirty wins from 32 matches?

Sign a raft of former professionals who have played at the highest level of club and international soccer as you target more silverware.

One Manchester club has an non-professional veterans squad with nine former top-flight footballers in their present roster.

222 Premier League Goals, 325 International Appearances

Wythenshawe Veterans Over-35s are located in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Division.

Their lineup this season features 9 ex- Premier League players, with a combined nearly 1,800 Premier League games.

This high-profile squad also contains 222 Premier League goals and 325 international caps.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after moving to them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home-field game versus defending title holders their rivals and netted all six goals in a 6-2 victory - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

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

Together, the ex- top-flight players have won fifteen significant trophies and moved for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Well-Known Names and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Irish caps, netting 4 scores

Stephen Ireland began playing for the side during pre-season this summer through close mate and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then invited additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek small-sided match, to participate.

Ex- Senegal striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 top-flight games for Everton and still goes to their home games, also had his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"A friend Stephen Ireland told me 'come and play, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"After that he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still love the game and you know you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those fans who come and see are pleased and to make someone's day if they see us competing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

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

"It's a bit unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just go inside - 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.

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Unreal Scenario

In addition to Cisse's six goals on debut, Ireland has netted 8 in three games for the side, while George Boyd hit 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a defender by position, scored a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Tier with three wins from 3 and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 World Cups for his country, in addition to featuring in over two hundred top-flight matches.

"It was going round like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League players," said the player.

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

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

"We competed well for a good twenty minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"Our group really haven't stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the journey home.

"They were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of normal fellas.

"Now we are eager for the second match."

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager manages the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a

Rhonda Miller
Rhonda Miller

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