Discover this Sunday League Club With Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Vets during a six-two victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - one player, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you boost a excellent veteran squad that have secured consecutive titles, including a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from thirty-two games?

Bring in a collection of former professionals who have competed at the highest level of club and international soccer as you target further silverware.

One Manchester club has an non-professional veterans squad with nine former top-flight players in their active squad.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 International Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are situated in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Tier.

The lineup this season includes nine former top-flight players, with a combined 1,801 Premier League appearances.

This elite roster also contains over 220 top division scores and 325 international appearances.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who notched 37 scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their most recent home match against defending title holders their rivals and scored all six scores in a 6-2 win - including a half-hour first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this season also features ex- pros such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League players have won 15 significant honors and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Famous Names and International Players

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

Ireland started turning out for the team during pre-season this season through close mate and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

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

"After that he told me we were playing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Blue shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?

"Those people who turn up and watch are pleased and to make someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, Niasse had his debut at full-back.

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

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

"That running is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Unreal Experience

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with three wins from three and a GD of +19.

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

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for his country, in as well as featuring in more than two hundred Premier League matches.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League players," said Barrow.

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

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

"We competed well for a good twenty mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was hard.

"We literally haven't stopped talking about it - I was calling my mother and brother on the journey home.

"The opponents were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of normal guys.

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

We Will Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate veterans team, who won the Premier Tier championship last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"We scored 1-0 ahead and had a

Angie Foster MD
Angie Foster MD

A seasoned journalist covering tech and culture with a passion for uncovering emerging trends and their societal impact.