Discover the Sunday Division Club With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Appearances

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

How can you improve a outstanding experienced side who have won back-to-back titles, including a league-cup double boasting 30 victories from thirty-two games?

Bring in a raft of former pro players that have played at the highest tier of club football and international football as you aim for further silverware.

One Manchester team boasts an amateur veterans squad with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their current lineup.

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

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are situated in south the city and play in the Cheshire Veterans Division Premier Tier.

Their roster this campaign boasts nine former Premier League players, with a combined nearly 1,800 top-flight games.

This star-studded squad also includes over 220 Premier League goals and over 320 international appearances.

They feature one forward, who netted 37 goals in 117 games for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field match against defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six scores in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also features 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 title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League footballers have secured fifteen big trophies and transferred for combined transfer sums of around £123 million.

Well-Known Figures and International Stars

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

Ireland started turning out for the side in pre-season this summer through good friend and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek small-sided game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 Premier League matches for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in the city and use an Everton training kit as their uniform.

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

"A friend Stephen told me 'come and play, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

"Then he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I say this is wrong for me!

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

"Those spectators who come and watch are pleased and to give someone's day if they watch us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, Niasse made his debut at defender.

"That's a bit unusual but then, I enjoy running and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Unreal Feeling

Along with the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one match as a striker.

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

One opponent, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to featuring in over two hundred top-flight matches.

"It was going round like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.

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

"Also Heskey got on and he's has over 60 England caps.

"Our side held our own for a good 20 minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"We really have not stopped talking about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the way home.

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

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

'We'll Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Top Tier title last season, along with his co-manager.

"Our team went one-nil up and had a

Heather Kerr
Heather Kerr

A seasoned betting analyst with over a decade of experience in the New Zealand gaming industry, specializing in odds analysis and responsible gambling practices.

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