Discover this Sunday Division Team With Over 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

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

How can you enhance a stellar experienced squad who have claimed consecutive championships, featuring a league-cup double boasting thirty wins from 32 games?

Sign a group of former pro players that have competed at the highest level of club and international soccer as you target further honors.

A Manchester club boasts an non-professional veterans team with 9 ex- top-flight players in their current squad.

222 Top Division Goals, 325 Global Caps

The team Vets Over 35s are situated in south the city and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Tier.

Their lineup this campaign includes 9 ex- top-flight footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League matches.

The star-studded team also includes over 220 top division scores and 325 international appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who scored 37 goals in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his debut for the team in their most recent home-field match against defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a six-two win - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

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

Collectively, the ex- Premier League footballers have claimed fifteen big honors and moved for total transfer fees of about £123 million.

Well-Known Figures and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned 6 Republic of Ireland caps, netting four scores

Ireland started turning out for the side in preseason this summer through good friend and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited other ex-pros, who all play in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who netted 12 scores in sixty-five Premier League games for Everton and even now attends their home games, also made his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their strip.

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

"A mate Stephen told me 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

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

"When you still love the game and you feel you can still play, wherever 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 see us competing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, he made his debut at defender.

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

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

"That running is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Experience

Along with Cisse's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit 5 on his first appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a hat-trick in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Division with three wins from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against former Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League games.

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

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

"Even Emile [Heskey] got on and he's has 60-odd English appearances.

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

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

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a group of regular guys.

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

We Will Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the Collegiate vets team, who won the Premier Tier title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We scored one-nil up and had a

Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson

A seasoned CRM consultant with over a decade of experience in helping businesses optimize customer interactions and drive growth through technology.

Popular Post