🔗 Share this article

What do you improve a stellar veteran side who have claimed consecutive championships, including a double triumph with thirty victories from 32 matches?

Recruit a raft of former pro players that have played at the top tier of club and international football as you pursue additional honors.

One Greater Manchester team boasts an amateur veterans squad with 9 former top-flight footballers in their current squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, 325 International Caps

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

The squad list this campaign includes nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a combined 1,801 top-flight appearances.

The elite team also includes 222 Premier League goals and 325 global caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who notched thirty-seven goals in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home-field match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also features ex- professionals such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- top-flight footballers have secured fifteen big trophies and moved for combined transfer sums of approximately £123m.

Household Figures and International Players

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the side in preseason this season through good mate and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then invited other former professionals, who all play in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 scores in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also made his first appearance versus the opposition - who are located in the city and use an Blue training kit as their strip.

"A mate Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's a laugh'," commented Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Everton kits - I say this is strange for me!

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

"Those spectators who come and see are happy and to give a day if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, Niasse had his debut at full-back.

"It's a little different but then, I love sprinting and just move forward - I'm not staying back that much," he added.

"I warn my centre-back 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.

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

Unreal Experience

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a defender by position, notched a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

The team are top of the Top Tier with three victories from three and a GD of +19.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for Honduras, in addition to playing in more than 200 top-flight matches.

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

"I think I was a bit awestruck playing against him to be honest.

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

"We competed well for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"We literally have not ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the way home.

"They were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a group of normal fellas.

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition veterans team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil up and had a