Meet the Sunday Division Team With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Appearances

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

What do you boost a excellent veteran side that have claimed consecutive championships, featuring a league-cup double with thirty victories from 32 games?

Sign a group of ex- professionals that have played at the top level of club and global football as you aim for further honors.

One Manchester side fields an amateur vets squad with 9 ex- Premier League players in their active squad.

222 Top Division Goals, 325 International Caps

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

The lineup this season boasts 9 former Premier League players, with a total 1,801 top-flight appearances.

The high-profile team also boasts 222 Premier League scores and 325 international caps.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for the team in their last home-field game against defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also includes ex- pros such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight players have won fifteen big trophies and transferred for total transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Well-Known Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Republic of Ireland appearances, netting 4 goals

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the side during preseason this season through close mate and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for the Toffees and even now goes to their home games, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Everton training kit as their uniform.

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

"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'join and have a game, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

"Then he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I say this is wrong for me!

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

"The people who turn up and see are pleased and to give a day if they see us playing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

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

"That's a little different but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

"That movement is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Dreamlike' Feeling

In addition to the forward's six scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a hat-trick in one game up front.

The team are top of the Top Division with 3 wins from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the wing for the opposition, came up against former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for his country, in as well as featuring in more than 200 Premier League matches.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had all these former top-flight players," remarked the player.

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

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

"We held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"We really have not ceased 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 match - it was like facing a bunch of normal fellas.

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

'We'll Still Take the Title'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets team, who won the Top Tier title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went 1-0 up and had a

Anthony Shannon
Anthony Shannon

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