Introduce this Sunday Division Team With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Vets in a 6-2 victory against 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

What can you enhance a stellar veteran side that have claimed back-to-back championships, including a double triumph boasting thirty victories from thirty-two games?

Recruit a collection of ex- professionals that have competed at the highest level of club and international football as you pursue additional trophies.

A Manchester club fields an non-professional veterans squad with nine ex- top-flight players in their active lineup.

222 Top Division Goals, 325 Global Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are located in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Tier.

Their squad list this campaign boasts 9 former Premier League footballers, with a total over 1,800 Premier League appearances.

The high-profile squad also boasts 222 Premier League goals and 325 international caps.

They include Papiss Cisse, who notched 37 goals in over 100 appearances for his former club after joining them for £9m from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in 2012.

He had his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six scores in a 6-2 victory - including a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also includes former professionals such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former Premier League players have won fifteen big trophies and moved for total transfer sums of about £123 million.

Household Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned 6 Irish appearances, netting 4 scores

Ireland began playing for the team during preseason this season through close friend and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek small-sided match, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against the opposition - who are located in the city and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"My mate Stephen told me 'join and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.

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

"If you still enjoy football and you feel you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"The spectators who come and watch are happy and to make someone's day if they see us competing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us getting somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he made his debut at defender.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Unreal Scenario

Along with Cisse's 6 goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored five on his debut match and Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Division with three victories from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

He has played at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in over two hundred top-flight games.

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

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

"Even Heskey came on and he's has 60-odd English caps.

"We held our own for a good 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.

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

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of normal guys.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

We Will Still Win the Title'

The manager coaches the opposition vets team, who secured the Premier Division title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"We scored one-nil up and had a

Michael Turner
Michael Turner

A travel writer and coastal enthusiast with a passion for exploring UK shorelines and sharing authentic local experiences.