Meet the Weekend Division Club Boasting 1,800 Premier League Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for the team Vets during a 6-2 triumph versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you enhance a outstanding veteran squad who have claimed consecutive championships, featuring a double triumph with 30 wins from 32 games?

Bring in a group of ex- professionals that have played at the elite level of club and international soccer as you aim for additional honors.

A Manchester side has an non-professional vets squad with 9 ex- Premier League players in their present roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, 325 International Caps

The team Veterans Over 35s are based in south the city and play in the Cheshire-based Vets League Top Division.

The lineup this season features nine former Premier League players, with a total over 1,800 top-flight games.

The elite squad also contains over 220 Premier League goals and 325 international appearances.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 games for Newcastle United after signing for them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his debut for the team in their most recent home game against reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a six-two win - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

The team for this season also includes ex- professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former top-flight players have won fifteen significant honors and moved for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Famous Figures and International Stars

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

Stephen Ireland began playing for the side during preseason this season through good mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 Premier League games for Everton and still goes to their home games, also had his debut against the opposition - who are located in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse played for the club between 2016 and 2020

"A mate Stephen Ireland told me 'join and have a game, it's a laugh'," said the striker.

"After that he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Blue kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"If you still love football and you know you can still do it, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"The spectators who come and watch are happy and to give a day if they see us playing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

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

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

"I tell my defender 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to continue attacking.

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

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

Dreamlike' Experience

Along with the forward's six scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a triple in one game as a striker.

The team are top of the Top Tier with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced former Latics defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his young boy who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 top-flight matches.

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these former top-flight stars," said the player.

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

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

"Our side competed well for a solid twenty mins but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"We literally haven't stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mother 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 regular guys.

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition veterans team, who won the Premier Division title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went one-nil ahead and had a

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