Meet the Sunday Division Club With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Vets in a 6-2 win versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you enhance a outstanding veteran squad that have secured consecutive titles, including a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 matches?

Sign a collection of former professionals that have played at the elite level of club football and international soccer as you target more honors.

One Manchester side has an non-professional veterans squad with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their current squad.

222 Top Division Scores, 325 International Caps

The team Veterans Over-35s are based in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Division.

The lineup this campaign boasts nine former Premier League players, with a collective 1,801 top-flight appearances.

The star-studded team also contains 222 top division goals and 325 international appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who netted thirty-seven goals in 117 games for his former club after signing for them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home-field match versus defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a six-two win - including a 32-minute opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this campaign also includes former professionals such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- top-flight players have secured 15 significant honors and transferred for total transfer sums of about £123m.

Household Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won six Republic of Ireland appearances, netting four scores

Ireland began turning out for the side in preseason this season through good mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side game, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse featured for the club from 2016 and 2020

"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'join and play, it's good fun'," commented Niasse.

"After that he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"If you still enjoy football and you feel you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to choose?

"Those people who come and see are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his debut at full-back.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Experience

In addition to Cisse's six goals on debut, Ireland has netted 8 in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Division with 3 victories from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for the opposition, faced ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for his country, in addition to featuring in more than two hundred top-flight matches.

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

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

"Also Emile [Heskey] got on and he's got 60-odd England caps.

"We held our own for a solid twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"We really have not stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second match."

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition vets team, who won the Premier Division championship last season, together with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil ahead and had a

Amber King
Amber King

A tech enthusiast and writer passionate about exploring how digital innovations impact society and daily life.