Introduce the Sunday Division Club Featuring Over 1,800 English Top Division Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans in a 6-2 victory against Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you boost a stellar experienced squad that have claimed back-to-back titles, including a double triumph with thirty wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a group of former pro players who have played at the top tier of club football and international soccer as you aim for more silverware.

One Manchester side boasts an non-professional vets team with nine ex- Premier League players in their current lineup.

222 Premier League Goals, 325 International Caps

The team Vets Over-35s are based in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Tier.

The squad list this season includes 9 former Premier League players, with a collective nearly 1,800 elite matches.

This elite team also includes over 220 Premier League scores and 325 global appearances.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who scored 37 goals in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after signing for them for £9m from Bundesliga side Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game against reigning champions their rivals and scored all six goals in a 6-2 win - including a half-hour first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this season also includes former pros such as England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- Premier League players have won 15 major trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Household Figures and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned six Republic of Ireland caps, netting 4 goals

Stephen Ireland began playing for the side in pre-season this season through good friend and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and even now goes to their home games, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

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

"Then he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Everton kits - I say this is strange for me!

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

"Those spectators who come and see are happy and to make a day if they watch us playing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, he had his debut at defender.

"That's a little unusual but then, I enjoy running and just move forward - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

"I tell my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.

"That movement is what I'm seeking. It's enjoyable."

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

Unreal Scenario

Along with the forward's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit 5 on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

The team are leading of the Top Tier with three wins from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced former Latics defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for Honduras, in as well as playing in over two hundred top-flight games.

"It was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," said the player.

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

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

"We held our own for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"We literally have not stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the journey home.

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

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager coaches the opposition vets team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"We scored one-nil ahead and had a

David Gregory
David Gregory

A seasoned fintech journalist with over a decade of experience covering blockchain technology and digital asset markets across Europe.