Discover the Sunday Division Club Featuring Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for the team Veterans in a 6-2 win against their opponents on 19 October (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you enhance a outstanding veteran side who have won back-to-back championships, featuring a league-cup double with 30 victories from 32 matches?

Bring in a group of former professionals who have played at the highest tier of club football and international football as you aim for more honors.

One Manchester club has an amateur vets squad with nine former Premier League footballers in their active squad.

222 Top Division Scores, 325 International Appearances

The team Veterans Over-35s are based in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Premier Division.

Their roster this campaign boasts 9 former Premier League footballers, with a collective over 1,800 elite matches.

The elite squad also boasts over 220 Premier League scores and over 320 international caps.

The squad include one forward, who netted thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for the team in their last home-field match versus defending champions their rivals and netted every one of the six scores in a six-two victory - including a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

The squad for this campaign also features former professionals such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former top-flight footballers have won 15 big honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of around £123 million.

Famous Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won 6 Republic of Ireland caps, scoring four scores

Stephen Ireland started playing for the team during pre-season this summer through close friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then invited other ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek small-sided match, to participate.

Former Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 scores in sixty-five Premier League matches for the Toffees and even now goes to their home games, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton training kit as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He played for the club 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 surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to choose?

"Those fans who come and see are pleased and to give someone's moment if they watch us playing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his debut at defender.

"That's a little unusual 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 keep running.

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

'Surreal Scenario

In addition to the forward's six goals on debut, Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for the side, while Boyd scored five on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with 3 wins from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in more than 200 top-flight matches.

"It was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight players," remarked Barrow.

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

"Also Emile [Heskey] got on and he's has over 60 English caps.

"We competed well for a solid twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

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

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

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

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Top Division title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored 1-0 up and had a

Cassandra Roach
Cassandra Roach

A seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in UK betting markets, specializing in football and horse racing.

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