Discover this Weekend Division Team Boasting Over 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for the team Veterans during a six-two win versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you boost a outstanding veteran team who have won consecutive championships, featuring a double triumph with 30 victories from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a collection of former pro players that have performed at the highest level of club and international soccer as you target additional silverware.

One Greater Manchester team boasts an non-professional veterans squad with nine former Premier League footballers in their active roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Caps

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

Their squad list this campaign features 9 ex- top-flight players, with a combined 1,801 top-flight matches.

The high-profile roster also contains 222 top division goals and 325 global appearances.

They feature one forward, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 games for his former club after joining them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his first appearance for the team in their most recent home match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six scores in a 6-2 victory - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

The squad for this campaign also features ex- pros such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have won fifteen big trophies and moved for combined transfer sums of about ÂŁ123 million.

Household Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won six Republic of Ireland caps, netting four scores

Ireland began turning out for the side during pre-season this season through good mate and present team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to join in.

Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 scores in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance against the opposition - who are located in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"My friend Stephen Ireland said 'come and play, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

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

"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those fans who come and see are happy and to make a moment if they see us competing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us having a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he made his first game at full-back.

"That's a little different but then, I love sprinting and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

"That movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

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

Dreamlike' Scenario

Along with the forward's six scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored 5 on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with three wins from three and a GD of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

He has played at two World Cups for his country, in addition to playing in more than two hundred top-flight matches.

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

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

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

"Our side held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group really haven't stopped talking about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the way home.

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a group of normal guys.

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Top Tier championship last season, together with his co-manager.

"We scored 1-0 up and had a

Kyle Mendoza
Kyle Mendoza

A digital strategist and content creator passionate about exploring how technology shapes modern culture and personal growth.