Meet this Weekend League Team Boasting 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

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

What do you improve a stellar experienced team that have claimed back-to-back championships, including a league-cup double with thirty wins from thirty-two games?

Recruit a group of former pro players who have played at the highest tier of club and global football as you aim for additional silverware.

A Greater Manchester club fields an non-professional vets team with nine former Premier League footballers in their active squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, 325 International Caps

Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are situated in south the city and compete in the Cheshire Veterans League Premier Division.

The squad list this campaign features 9 ex- Premier League players, with a combined 1,801 Premier League matches.

The elite team also contains over 220 Premier League scores and 325 international appearances.

They include one forward, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home match against reigning champions their rivals and netted all six scores in a six-two win - including a 32-minute opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also features former pros such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former top-flight players have claimed 15 major honors and transferred for combined transfer fees of around £123m.

Well-Known Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Republic of Ireland caps, scoring four goals

Ireland began playing for the side during pre-season this summer through good friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all play in a weekly small-sided match, to participate.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five top-flight games for the Toffees and still attends their home games, also made his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"A friend Stephen told me 'join and have a game, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

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

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

"The fans who come and see are pleased and to make a day if they watch us playing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his debut at defender.

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

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

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

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

Unreal Experience

Along with the forward's 6 scores on debut, Ireland has scored 8 in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit 5 on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

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

One opponent, 38, 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 addition to featuring in more than 200 top-flight matches.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League stars," said the player.

"I felt I was a little starstruck facing Figueroa to be honest.

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

"Our side competed well for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

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

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a group of normal guys.

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

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager coaches the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Premier Division title last season, together with his co-manager.

"Our team went one-nil ahead and had a

Amber Porter
Amber Porter

A tech analyst with over a decade of experience in Canadian resource industries, specializing in digital transformation and sustainable tech solutions.