Meet this Weekend League Club With 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for Wythenshawe Vets in a six-two triumph versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you improve a excellent veteran team who have won back-to-back championships, including a double triumph boasting thirty victories from thirty-two matches?

Recruit a group of former professionals who have played at the top level of club and global football as you pursue further honors.

One Manchester side has an amateur veterans team with nine former Premier League players in their current squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, 325 International Caps

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

The lineup this season features 9 ex- top-flight footballers, with a combined over 1,800 Premier League appearances.

This high-profile roster also boasts 222 Premier League goals and 325 international appearances.

They include one forward, who netted thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his first appearance for the team in their most recent home-field game versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a 6-2 win - including a 32-minute opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this campaign also features former professionals such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- Premier League players have won fifteen major trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of about £123 million.

Famous Figures and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He won six Irish caps, scoring 4 goals

Ireland started turning out for the team during preseason this summer through close mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then invited additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 scores in 65 Premier League games for Everton and still goes to their home games, also had his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their strip.

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

"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'come and have a game, it's good fun'," said Niasse.

"Then he told me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those fans who come and watch are happy and to give someone's day if they watch us competing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

So great is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his debut at full-back.

"It's a bit different but then, I love running 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 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 Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Experience

Along with Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit five on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a triple in one match as a striker.

The team are top of the Premier Division with 3 wins from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Latics full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for his country, in addition to featuring in more than 200 Premier League games.

"It was going round like wildfire they had these former top-flight stars," said Barrow.

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

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

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

"Our group really haven't stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the way home.

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

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

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets team, who secured the Premier Tier title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went 1-0 ahead and had a

James Mann
James Mann

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and startup ecosystems across Europe.