Discover the Weekend League Club With 1,800 Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Vets in a 6-2 victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (from left to right) - one player, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you enhance a excellent veteran team who have claimed back-to-back titles, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 victories from thirty-two games?

Sign a group of former professionals who have played at the elite level of club and international football as you target more honors.

One Greater Manchester team has an non-professional vets team with nine ex- top-flight players in their present roster.

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

The team Veterans Over-35s are situated in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Tier.

Their lineup this season includes 9 ex- Premier League footballers, with a combined 1,801 elite appearances.

This star-studded roster also contains 222 top division goals and 325 global appearances.

The squad include one forward, who netted 37 scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field match against reigning champions their rivals and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two victory - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's squad for this season also features former pros such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- Premier League footballers have secured fifteen big trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Well-Known Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, netting 4 scores

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the team in preseason this summer through close mate and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited other ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to join in.

Ex- Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve goals in sixty-five Premier League games for the Toffees and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - 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 the club between 2016 and 2020

"A friend Stephen told me 'come and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.

"Then he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue shirts - I say this is strange for me!

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

"The spectators who come and see are pleased and to give a day if they see us playing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, he had his first game at defender.

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

"I warn my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to continue attacking.

"The movement is what I'm seeking. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Scenario

Along with Cisse's six scores on debut, Ireland has netted eight in three games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a hat-trick in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Division with three victories from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, faced former Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League games.

"It was going round like a rumor they had all these former top-flight players," remarked Barrow.

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

"Also Heskey got on and he's got over 60 English caps.

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

"We really haven't stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the journey home.

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a bunch of normal guys.

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

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Top Tier championship last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"We went 1-0 ahead and had a

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Joshua Osborn

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