Introduce the Sunday League Club Boasting Over 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

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

How do you enhance a outstanding veteran side who have secured consecutive titles, including a double triumph with 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a raft of former pro players who have performed at the elite tier of club and international football as you aim for additional trophies.

One Manchester side boasts an non-professional veterans team with 9 former Premier League players in their present lineup.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Goals, 325 Global Appearances

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

Their roster this season includes 9 ex- Premier League footballers, with a combined nearly 1,800 top-flight matches.

The high-profile squad also includes 222 Premier League scores and over 320 global caps.

They include Papiss Cisse, who notched thirty-seven scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side SC Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home game versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two win - including a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

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

In total, the ex- top-flight players have won 15 major honors and moved for combined transfer sums of about £123 million.

Famous Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won six Republic of Ireland caps, scoring four scores

Ireland started playing for the side during pre-season this season through good friend and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other ex-pros, who all play in a midweek small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve scores in sixty-five Premier League games for Everton and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton training kit as their uniform.

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

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

"After that he informed me we were playing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Everton kits - I say this is strange for me!

"When you still love the game and you feel you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"The people who turn up and watch are pleased and to make a moment if they see us competing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

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

"It's a little unusual but then, I love sprinting and just go inside - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

"I warn my defender 'I'm not hanging back' 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 full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

'Surreal Scenario

In addition to Cisse's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a hat-trick in one match up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Tier with three victories from three and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 World Cups for his country, in addition to featuring in over two hundred top-flight games.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League players," said the player.

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

"Even Heskey came on and he's got over 60 England appearances.

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

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

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

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

'We'll Still Win the Title'

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

"We went 1-0 ahead and had a

Jasmin Ellison MD
Jasmin Ellison MD

Marco Deluca is a sports betting analyst with over a decade of experience in the industry, providing insights and strategies to help bettors succeed.