Meet this Sunday Division Club With Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans during a 6-2 win against Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you enhance a stellar veteran team that have secured consecutive titles, featuring a double triumph with 30 victories from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a collection of ex- pro players that have competed at the highest level of club and global football as you aim for further honors.

A Manchester team fields an amateur vets team with 9 former Premier League footballers in their active squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Goals, 325 Global Caps

Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are located in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Top Division.

The lineup this campaign includes 9 former Premier League players, with a combined 1,801 elite matches.

This high-profile team also contains 222 Premier League goals and 325 global appearances.

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

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game versus defending title holders their rivals and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two win - including a 32-minute opening period triple.

The squad for this season also features ex- professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former top-flight footballers have won 15 big trophies and moved for total transfer fees of about £123 million.

Household Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won 6 Republic of Ireland caps, netting 4 scores

Ireland began turning out for the side in preseason this summer through close friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then invited additional former professionals, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side match, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 Premier League matches for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"My friend Stephen told me 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I saw them sporting Everton shirts - I say this is wrong for me!

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

"Those people who come and see are happy and to give a day if they watch us competing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he made his debut at full-back.

"That's a little different but then, I love running and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

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

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

Dreamlike' Scenario

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three games for the side, while Boyd scored five on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one match as a striker.

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

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

He has played at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as playing in more than 200 top-flight games.

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

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

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

"We held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a man sent off and it was tough.

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

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

"Now we are eager for the second match."

We Will Still Take the Title'

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

"We scored 1-0 up and had a

Michael Reese
Michael Reese

Lieke is a digital strategist with over a decade of experience in SEO and content marketing.