Meet the Weekend Division Squad Boasting 1,800 Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans in a six-two win against their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you boost a outstanding veteran squad that have secured consecutive championships, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from 32 games?

Bring in a collection of former pro players who have performed at the highest tier of club football and global soccer as you target further trophies.

A Manchester club has an amateur vets squad with 9 former Premier League footballers in their current roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, 325 Global Caps

The team Vets Over-35s are situated in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Tier.

The squad list this campaign features 9 ex- top-flight players, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League games.

The elite team also contains over 220 top division scores and over 320 international appearances.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who scored 37 goals in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home game against reigning champions their rivals and netted all six scores in a six-two win - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

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

Collectively, the former Premier League players have secured fifteen big trophies and transferred for total transfer fees of around £123 million.

Famous Figures and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Irish appearances, scoring 4 scores

Stephen Ireland began playing for the team in preseason this summer through close friend and present team player Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side match, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 scores in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut versus the opposition - who are based in the city and wear an Everton training kit as their uniform.

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

"A friend Stephen Ireland said 'join and play, it's good fun'," commented the striker.

"After that he told me we were facing a side from the city and the shock I had when I saw them wearing Everton kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"When you still enjoy the game and you know you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who come and watch are happy and to make a moment if they watch us competing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

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

"That's a little different but then, I enjoy running and just go inside - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

"I tell my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep running.

"The movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

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

'Surreal Experience

In addition to Cisse's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one match up front.

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

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

Figueroa has appeared at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in as well as playing in over two hundred Premier League games.

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

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

"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's has 60-odd English caps.

"Our side held our own for a good 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 sibling on the way home.

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a bunch of regular guys.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

We Will Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Top Division championship last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored 1-0 up and had a

Daniel Smith
Daniel Smith

A certified yoga instructor and nutritionist passionate about holistic health and sharing evidence-based wellness strategies.