Discover this Weekend League Squad Featuring 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans during a six-two victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you improve a excellent veteran side that have secured consecutive championships, featuring a double triumph boasting thirty victories from 32 matches?

Recruit a group of former pro players that have performed at the elite level of club football and international soccer as you pursue more honors.

A Greater Manchester team boasts an non-professional vets team with nine ex- top-flight players in their current lineup.

222 Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are situated in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Veterans League Top Division.

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

The high-profile squad also boasts 222 Premier League goals and over 320 global appearances.

They include Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

The squad for this campaign also includes former pros such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former Premier League players have won 15 significant honors and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Famous Figures and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned six Irish appearances, netting 4 scores

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side during pre-season this season through good friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side match, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who scored 12 goals in sixty-five top-flight games for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance 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 said 'come and play, it's good fun'," said Niasse.

"Then he told me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"If you still love 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 come and watch are happy and to make a day if they watch us competing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us getting somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, Niasse had his debut at defender.

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

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

"The running is what I'm after. It's good fun."

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

Unreal Scenario

Along with the forward's six scores on his first game, Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a triple in one game as a striker.

The team are top of the Premier Division with 3 victories from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced ex- Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young son who Heskey was.

He has played at 2 World Cups for his country, in as well as playing in over two hundred Premier League games.

"The news was spreading like wildfire they had these former top-flight stars," remarked Barrow.

"I think I was a bit starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

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

"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 ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the journey home.

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

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Top Division championship the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil up and had a

Gabriel Anderson
Gabriel Anderson

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in reviewing consoles and games, dedicated to sharing honest insights.

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