Meet the Sunday Division Club Featuring Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Veterans during a 6-2 triumph against their opponents on 19 October (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you boost a excellent veteran squad who have secured consecutive titles, featuring a double triumph boasting thirty victories from 32 games?

Sign a group of former professionals that have performed at the top level of club and international soccer as you target more honors.

One Greater Manchester club fields an non-professional veterans team with nine former Premier League players in their current squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Goals, 325 International Appearances

The team Veterans Over 35s are based in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire Vets League Top Division.

Their lineup this season boasts nine former Premier League players, with a collective 1,801 top-flight games.

The elite roster also includes 222 Premier League goals and over 320 international caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home-field match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored every one of the six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this season also includes former pros such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight players have secured fifteen major honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of around £123m.

Household Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won 6 Irish appearances, netting four goals

Stephen Ireland began playing for the team in preseason this summer through good mate and present team player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then asked other former professionals, who all play in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 goals in 65 Premier League matches for Everton and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and play, it's good fun'," said Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were facing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Everton kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"If you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"The people who come and watch are pleased and to give someone's day if they watch us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, he had his debut at defender.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Unreal Feeling

Along with the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit 5 on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, scored a triple in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Division with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced ex- Latics full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over two hundred Premier League matches.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," remarked the player.

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

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

"Our side competed well for a solid 20 minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was tough.

"We really have not ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

'We'll Still Take the Title'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets team, who secured the Top Tier championship last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a

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