Meet the Weekend Division Team Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Matches

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

How can you boost a excellent experienced side who have claimed consecutive championships, featuring a league-cup double with 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a raft of ex- professionals that have performed at the elite level of club and global soccer as you target more honors.

A Manchester club has an non-professional vets squad with nine former top-flight players in their current roster.

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

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

Their lineup this season boasts nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a collective nearly 1,800 top-flight matches.

The elite squad also includes 222 top division scores and 325 international caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 goals in 117 appearances for his former club after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga club Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home game versus reigning champions their rivals and netted all six scores in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

The squad for this season also features ex- professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton 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 former Premier League players have won fifteen big honors and moved for total transfer sums of around £123m.

Household Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won 6 Irish caps, netting four goals

Ireland began playing for the side during pre-season this season through good friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 goals in 65 top-flight matches for Everton and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Blue training kit as their strip.

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

"My friend Stephen Ireland said 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," said the striker.

"After that he told me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

"When you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who turn up and watch are happy and to make a day if they see us playing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, he had his first game at defender.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

'Surreal Scenario

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

The team are top of the Premier Division with three wins from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in addition to featuring in more than 200 Premier League games.

"It was going round like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.

"I think I was a little awestruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

"Even Heskey came on and he's got 60-odd England caps.

"Our side competed well for a good twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"Our group really haven't ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the way home.

"They were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a bunch of regular fellas.

"Now we are eager for the second match."

We Will Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate vets team, who secured the Premier Division title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went 1-0 up and had a

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