Discover the Sunday Division Team With Over 1,800 English Top Division Games

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

How can you improve a stellar veteran squad who have won back-to-back titles, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 victories from 32 games?

Sign a group of ex- professionals that have competed at the top level of club football and international soccer as you aim for further silverware.

A Greater Manchester side boasts an non-professional veterans squad with nine ex- top-flight players in their present squad.

222 Premier League Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are situated in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Tier.

The squad list this campaign includes 9 former top-flight players, with a collective over 1,800 Premier League games.

This elite roster also boasts 222 Premier League scores and 325 international caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 goals in 117 games for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club Freiburg in 2012.

He had his debut for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field game versus reigning title holders their rivals and scored every one of the six scores in a six-two win - including a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

The roster for this season also includes ex- professionals such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- Premier League players have secured 15 big trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of about £123 million.

Famous Names and Global Players

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

Ireland started turning out for the side in pre-season this summer through close friend and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese forward Niasse, who scored 12 scores in sixty-five Premier League games for the Toffees and even now goes to their home games, also made his first appearance against the opposition - who are located in Liverpool and use an Everton training kit as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He played for Everton between 2016 and 2020

"A friend Stephen Ireland told me 'come and have a game, it's good fun'," said the striker.

"After that he told me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

"When you still love the game and you know you can still play, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those fans who turn up and watch are happy and to make someone's moment if they see us playing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at the club, he made his debut at full-back.

"That's a little different but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

"The running is what I'm looking for. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Unreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's 6 scores on his first game, Ireland has scored eight in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with 3 victories from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 World Cups for his country, in addition to playing in more than two hundred Premier League matches.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had all these former top-flight stars," said the player.

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

"Even Heskey got on and he's got 60-odd English appearances.

"Our side held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group really haven't stopped talking about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the journey home.

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

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

We Will Still Take the League'

The manager manages the opposition vets side, who secured the Premier Tier championship last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went one-nil up and had a

John Collier
John Collier

Liam Voss is a seasoned online gaming strategist with over a decade of experience in the industry.