Meet this Sunday Division Squad Featuring Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Games

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

What do you boost a stellar experienced team who have won consecutive championships, featuring a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from 32 games?

Recruit a raft of former professionals who have performed at the elite level of club and international soccer as you pursue additional honors.

One Greater Manchester team fields an non-professional vets team with nine ex- top-flight players in their current squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Veterans Over-35s are located in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire Veterans Division Premier Tier.

The roster this season boasts 9 ex- Premier League footballers, with a collective nearly 1,800 elite matches.

This star-studded team also includes over 220 Premier League scores and 325 global appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who notched 37 goals in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from German league club Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home-field game versus defending champions their rivals and scored all six goals in a six-two victory - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also features ex- pros such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- Premier League footballers have won 15 big trophies and transferred for combined transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Famous Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, netting 4 goals

Ireland started playing for the side in preseason this season through close friend and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Irish midfielder then invited other ex-pros, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side match, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five top-flight games for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and use an Everton training kit as their strip.

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

"My friend Stephen told me 'come and have a game, it's good fun'," commented the striker.

"Then he told me we were facing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Blue shirts - I say this is strange for me!

"When you still enjoy the game and you know you can still do it, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those people who turn up and see are pleased and to give a day if they see us competing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

So great is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he made his first game at defender.

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

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

"That movement is what I'm seeking. It's good fun."

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

Dreamlike' Experience

Along with the forward's six scores on debut, Ireland has netted eight in 3 games for the side, while Boyd hit five on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a triple in one match up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Tier with three victories from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the wing for the opposition, faced ex- Latics defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as featuring in more than 200 top-flight matches.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League stars," remarked the player.

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

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

"Our side held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was hard.

"Our group really haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mother and sibling on the journey home.

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

"Now we can't wait for the return fixture."

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate vets team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a

Molly Conrad
Molly Conrad

A seasoned travel writer and cultural enthusiast, sharing stories from over 30 countries with a focus on sustainable tourism.