Introduce this Weekend Division Squad With Over 1,800 English Top Division Matches

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

How do you boost a stellar veteran squad that have won back-to-back championships, including a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from 32 games?

Sign a collection of former pro players that have competed at the highest level of club football and international football as you target additional honors.

A Greater Manchester team fields an amateur veterans team with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their active lineup.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 International Appearances

The team Veterans Over 35s are located in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Division.

The squad list this campaign boasts 9 former Premier League players, with a combined nearly 1,800 elite matches.

The high-profile squad also boasts over 220 Premier League scores and 325 international appearances.

They include one forward, who netted 37 scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse had his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a 6-2 victory - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

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

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

Famous Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He won 6 Irish appearances, netting 4 scores

Stephen Ireland started playing for the team during pre-season this summer through close friend and present team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who scored 12 scores in 65 Premier League matches for the Toffees and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut versus the opposition - who are located in the city and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"A mate Stephen Ireland said 'come and play, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

"Then he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them wearing Blue kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"When you still love football and you feel you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who turn up and see are pleased and to make someone's day if they see us competing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the bench strength at the club, Niasse had his first game at defender.

"That's a bit different but then, I love sprinting and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he said.

"I tell my centre-back 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to keep running.

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Experience

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for the side, while Boyd hit five on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Division with 3 wins from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for the opposition, faced ex- Wigan defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his young boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for his country, in addition to playing in more than 200 Premier League games.

"It was going round like wildfire they had these former top-flight stars," remarked Barrow.

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

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

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

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

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

"Now we are eager for the return match."

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager manages the Collegiate veterans side, who secured the Premier Tier championship the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"We scored one-nil up and had a

Kelsey Burns
Kelsey Burns

A passionate climber and outdoor educator with over a decade of experience scaling peaks worldwide.