Meet this Sunday League Team With 1,800 Top-Flight Games

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

How can you boost a outstanding veteran side who have won back-to-back titles, featuring a league-cup double with 30 wins from 32 games?

Sign a collection of former pro players who have performed at the top level of club and international soccer as you aim for further honors.

One Manchester side fields an non-professional veterans team with nine ex- top-flight players in their present squad.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 International Appearances

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

Their lineup this campaign includes 9 ex- top-flight players, with a combined 1,801 Premier League appearances.

This star-studded team also boasts over 220 Premier League scores and over 320 international caps.

They feature one forward, who netted 37 scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after joining them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home match versus defending champions their rivals and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two win - including a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

The roster for this season also features former professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- Premier League footballers have claimed 15 big trophies and moved for total transfer fees of approximately £123 million.

Well-Known Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won 6 Irish caps, scoring four scores

Ireland started playing for the team during pre-season this season through good friend and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then invited other ex-pros, who all play in a midweek small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 Premier League matches for the Toffees and still attends their home games, also made his debut versus the opposition - who are located in the city and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"My friend Stephen Ireland said 'come and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.

"After that he informed me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"Those spectators who come and watch are pleased and to make someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the strength in depth at the club, he made his debut at full-back.

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

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Feeling

In addition to Cisse's six goals on his first game, Ireland has scored 8 in three games for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a triple in one game up front.

The team are top of the Premier Tier with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in more than 200 top-flight games.

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

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

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

"We competed well for a solid twenty mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group literally have not ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the journey home.

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of regular guys.

"Now we can't wait for the return fixture."

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager coaches the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Top Division title the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored 1-0 up and had a

Luis Miller
Luis Miller

A tech journalist and digital strategist passionate about exploring how technology shapes everyday life and culture.