Meet the Weekend Division Club With Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for the team Veterans in a 6-2 win against Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you boost a outstanding veteran squad that have secured consecutive championships, including a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 games?

Recruit a raft of ex- professionals who have competed at the elite level of club and global soccer as you pursue further honors.

A Manchester club boasts an non-professional vets squad with 9 former Premier League footballers in their active squad.

222 Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Caps

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are based in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Top Tier.

Their squad list this campaign includes 9 former Premier League players, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League appearances.

This high-profile roster also contains over 220 Premier League goals and over 320 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who scored thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field match versus reigning champions their rivals and scored all six scores in a 6-2 win - including a half-hour opening period triple.

The roster for this season also includes ex- pros such as English and Anfield 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 top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former top-flight footballers have won fifteen big honors and moved for combined transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Famous Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won 6 Irish appearances, netting 4 goals

Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this summer through close friend and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek small-sided game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve scores in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"A mate Stephen said 'come 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 wearing Blue shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

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

"Those fans who come and see are happy and to make someone's day if they watch us playing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, he had his first game at full-back.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Feeling

Along with Cisse's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd scored five on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one game as a striker.

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

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for the opposition, faced former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for his country, in as well as playing in over 200 Premier League matches.

"The news was spreading like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League stars," remarked Barrow.

"I think I was a little awestruck facing him to be honest.

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

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

"Our group really have not stopped talking about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the journey home.

"They were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of normal fellas.

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

We Will Still Win the League'

The manager manages the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"Our team went 1-0 ahead and had a

Logan Morgan
Logan Morgan

Sports betting analyst with 10 years of experience in odds analysis and strategy development.