Meet the Weekend Division Squad With 1,800 Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans in a 6-2 win against their opponents on 19 October (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you improve a excellent veteran team that have won back-to-back championships, including a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 games?

Bring in a raft of ex- professionals who have played at the highest tier of club football and international soccer as you pursue additional silverware.

A Greater Manchester club boasts an non-professional vets squad with nine ex- Premier League players in their active squad.

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

The team Vets Over-35s are based in south the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Top Division.

The lineup this campaign features nine ex- Premier League players, with a collective over 1,800 Premier League games.

This high-profile squad also includes 222 Premier League goals and over 320 international caps.

They feature one forward, who notched thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his debut for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field match versus defending title holders their rivals and netted every one of the six scores in a six-two win - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

The roster for this campaign also features former pros such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- top-flight footballers have claimed 15 big trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of around £123 million.

Famous Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Irish caps, scoring four goals

Stephen Ireland began playing for the team in preseason this summer through close friend and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a weekly small-sided match, to participate.

Ex- Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 scores in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Blue training kit as their uniform.

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

"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," commented Niasse.

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

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

"The fans who turn up and watch are happy and to give someone's day if they watch us competing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the strength in depth at the club, he made his debut at defender.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Unreal Scenario

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on debut, Ireland has netted eight in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd scored 5 on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a triple in one match up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with three victories from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Emile Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to featuring in over 200 top-flight games.

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

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

"Even Emile [Heskey] came on and he's got 60-odd England caps.

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

"We literally haven't ceased chatting about it - I was phoning my mum and brother on the way home.

"They were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of normal guys.

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

'We'll Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition vets team, who secured the Top Tier title last season, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a

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