Introduce this Weekend Division Team Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans during a six-two victory versus their opponents on 19 October (left to right) - one player, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you improve a outstanding experienced side that have claimed consecutive championships, featuring a league-cup double with 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a raft of former professionals that have competed at the highest level of club football and global football as you target further silverware.

One Greater Manchester side boasts an non-professional vets squad with nine ex- Premier League footballers in their current lineup.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Vets Over-35s are located in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire Veterans Division Top Division.

Their squad list this campaign boasts 9 former top-flight footballers, with a total over 1,800 Premier League games.

The high-profile team also contains over 220 Premier League goals and over 320 international appearances.

They feature one forward, who notched thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game against reigning title holders their rivals and scored every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have secured 15 major honors and moved for combined transfer sums of about £123m.

Household Figures and International Players

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

Ireland began turning out for the side during preseason this season through close friend and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek small-sided game, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese forward Niasse, who scored 12 goals in sixty-five top-flight matches for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and use an Everton training kit as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for Everton from 2016 and 2020

"A friend Stephen Ireland told me 'come and play, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

"Then he informed me we were facing a side from the city and the shock I had when I noticed them wearing Blue shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

"If you still love football and you feel you can still play, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those fans who turn up and see are pleased and to give a moment if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse had his first game at full-back.

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

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

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

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

'Surreal Scenario

Along with the forward's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in three games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit 5 on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a triple in one game as a striker.

The team are leading of the Premier Division with 3 victories from three and a GD of +19.

One opponent, 38, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for Honduras, in addition to featuring in over two hundred Premier League games.

"It was spreading like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.

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

"Also Heskey came on and he's got over 60 England appearances.

"We competed well for a solid 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group literally haven't ceased chatting about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the journey home.

"They were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of normal fellas.

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

'We'll Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate vets side, who won the Top Division championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil up and had a

Randy Garrett
Randy Garrett

Elena Voss is a political analyst and writer focusing on European affairs, with a passion for fostering dialogue on pressing issues.

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