Discover the Weekend Division Squad Featuring Over 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

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

What can you enhance a excellent veteran squad who have won back-to-back championships, featuring a league-cup double with thirty wins from 32 matches?

Recruit a raft of ex- professionals who have performed at the highest level of club and international soccer as you target additional honors.

A Greater Manchester side fields an non-professional veterans squad with 9 former Premier League players in their active roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

The team Veterans Over-35s are located in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Top Tier.

Their roster this campaign features 9 former Premier League footballers, with a collective nearly 1,800 top-flight matches.

The high-profile squad also includes over 220 top division scores and over 320 international caps.

They include Papiss Cisse, who notched thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from German league side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

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

The squad for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- Premier League players have claimed fifteen major trophies and transferred for combined transfer fees of around £123m.

Well-Known Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Irish caps, scoring four scores

Ireland began playing for the side in preseason this summer through good friend and present team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegal forward Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for the club from 2016 and 2020

"A mate Stephen said 'join and play, it's good fun'," commented Niasse.

"After that he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them wearing Blue kits - I thought this is strange for me!

"If you still love the game and you feel you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?

"The people who come and see are happy and to give a day if they watch us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

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

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

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

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

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

Unreal Experience

In addition to Cisse's six scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit 5 on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Tier with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 top-flight games.

"It was spreading like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League stars," said Barrow.

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

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

"We held our own for a good 20 mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"Our group really haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mother and sibling on the way home.

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of normal fellas.

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

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Premier Tier championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil up and had a

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David Nash

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