Introduce the Weekend League Squad Featuring 1,800 Top-Flight Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for the team Vets during a six-two victory against their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you enhance a outstanding experienced squad who have won back-to-back titles, featuring a league-cup double with thirty victories from thirty-two matches?

Recruit a collection of former professionals who have played at the highest level of club and international soccer as you aim for additional silverware.

One Manchester team has an non-professional vets squad with nine former top-flight footballers in their present lineup.

222 Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

The team Veterans Over-35s are based in southern the city and play in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Top Tier.

Their squad list this season features 9 ex- top-flight players, with a combined 1,801 Premier League appearances.

The star-studded roster also contains 222 top division scores and 325 international appearances.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for his former club after joining them for £9m from German league side Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his debut for the team in their last home-field game against defending champions their rivals and netted every one of the six goals in a 6-2 victory - including a 32-minute opening period hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also includes ex- pros such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have secured 15 major trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Well-Known Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Irish appearances, scoring 4 scores

Ireland began turning out for the team during pre-season this summer through close friend and present team player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side match, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve scores in 65 Premier League matches for Everton and even now goes to their home games, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and wear an Everton training kit as their strip.

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

"A mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and play, it's good fun'," said the striker.

"Then he informed me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Blue shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"Those fans who come and see are happy and to make someone's day if they see us playing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the joy of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his first game at defender.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Scenario

Along with Cisse's 6 goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a hat-trick in one match up front.

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

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against ex- Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for Honduras, in addition to featuring in over two hundred top-flight games.

"It was going round like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League stars," said Barrow.

"I think I was a little starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

"Also Heskey came on and he's has 60-odd English appearances.

"We held our own for a good twenty mins but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group literally haven't ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the journey home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second match."

'We'll Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate vets side, who won the Premier Tier title last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went 1-0 ahead and had a

Richard Nelson
Richard Nelson

A seasoned journalist and analyst specializing in international relations and global policy, with over a decade of experience.