Meet this Weekend Division Squad With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

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

How can you improve a excellent veteran squad that have secured back-to-back championships, featuring a double triumph with 30 wins from 32 games?

Bring in a collection of former pro players who have played at the top tier of club football and international soccer as you target further trophies.

One Greater Manchester side has an non-professional vets team with 9 former top-flight footballers in their active squad.

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

The team Vets Over-35s are based in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire Veterans League Premier Division.

Their roster this campaign features 9 former Premier League footballers, with a combined 1,801 elite appearances.

This elite squad also contains over 220 top division goals and over 320 global caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who notched 37 scores in 117 games for his former club after joining them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He 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 - featuring a 32-minute first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also includes former professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former top-flight players have secured fifteen significant honors and moved for combined transfer fees of around £123m.

Household Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned six Irish appearances, netting four goals

Stephen Ireland started playing for the team in pre-season this summer through close mate and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve scores in 65 Premier League matches for Everton and still goes to their home games, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Blue training kit as their uniform.

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

"My friend Stephen told me 'come and play, it's a laugh'," commented Niasse.

"After that he told me we were playing a team from the city and the shock I had when I noticed them wearing Blue shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

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

"The spectators who turn up and see are happy and to make a moment if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, he made his first game at defender.

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

"I warn my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to continue running.

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

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

'Surreal Scenario

In addition to the forward's six goals on debut, Ireland has scored 8 in three games for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one match up front.

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

One opponent, 38, who features on the wing for the opposition, faced ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young son who Heskey was.

He has played at two global tournaments for his country, in as well as playing in over 200 Premier League matches.

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

"I felt I was a bit starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

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

"Our side held our own for a good twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

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

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a group of normal guys.

"Now we are eager for the return match."

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager coaches the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Top Division championship last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went one-nil up and had a

Meredith Martinez
Meredith Martinez

Elara Vance is a data scientist and business intelligence consultant with over a decade of experience in transforming raw data into strategic insights.