Meet the Sunday League Squad With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for Wythenshawe Vets during a 6-2 victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you improve a excellent veteran side that have secured back-to-back titles, including a league-cup double boasting 30 victories from thirty-two matches?

Sign a group of ex- pro players who have competed at the elite tier of club and global football as you pursue more silverware.

One Manchester team has an non-professional veterans squad with 9 ex- top-flight players in their current lineup.

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

The team Veterans Over 35s are situated in southern the city and play in the Cheshire Vets Division Premier Division.

Their roster this campaign includes 9 former Premier League players, with a collective 1,801 elite appearances.

This high-profile squad also contains over 220 Premier League scores and 325 global appearances.

The squad include one forward, who notched 37 scores in 117 appearances for his former club after joining them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home-field match against defending title holders their rivals and scored all six scores in a six-two win - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

The roster for this campaign also features former professionals such as England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have secured 15 big trophies and moved for combined transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Household Names and International Players

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

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side in pre-season this summer through close mate and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 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 the city and use an Blue training kit as their uniform.

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

"A mate Stephen said 'come and play, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

"Then he informed me we were playing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue kits - I say this is strange for me!

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

"The people who come and see are pleased and to make a moment if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

So great is the bench strength at the club, Niasse made his first game at defender.

"That's a bit unusual but then, I love running and just go inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

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

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

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's six scores on his first game, Ireland has netted eight in 3 games for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his first match and Lescott, a defender by position, notched a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with three wins from 3 and a GD of +19.

One opponent, 38, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 top-flight games.

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

"I felt I was a bit awestruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

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

"We competed well for a good 20 minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.

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

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

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

We Will Still Take the Title'

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

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a

Mrs. Leah Robertson
Mrs. Leah Robertson

A UK-based digital journalist with over a decade of experience covering British culture and lifestyle trends, passionate about sharing authentic stories.