🔗 Share this article

What do you enhance a stellar veteran side that have claimed consecutive titles, featuring a double triumph boasting thirty victories from 32 games?

Recruit a group of ex- pro players who have competed at the highest level of club and global soccer as you pursue additional silverware.

A Manchester team fields an non-professional veterans team with 9 former Premier League players in their active roster.

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

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

Their roster this campaign includes nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League appearances.

The high-profile squad also boasts over 220 top division goals and over 320 international caps.

They include one forward, who notched 37 scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga club Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for the team in their most recent home match versus reigning champions their rivals and scored all six goals in a 6-2 win - including a 32-minute opening period hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- Premier League footballers have secured fifteen significant trophies and moved for combined transfer sums of approximately £123m.

Well-Known Figures and Global Players

Ireland began playing for the side during pre-season this season through close friend and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Irish midfielder then invited other former professionals, who all play in a midweek small-sided match, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five Premier League games for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Everton training kit as their uniform.

"A friend Stephen Ireland told me 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," commented the striker.

"Then he told me we were facing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

"If you still love the game and you know you can still play, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those people who turn up and watch are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he had his debut at defender.

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

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

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

Dreamlike' Experience

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

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

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

He has played at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in more than 200 top-flight matches.

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

"I felt I was a bit starstruck facing him to be honest.

"Even Heskey came on and he's got 60-odd England appearances.

"Our side held our own for a good twenty mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group literally have not stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second match."

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition vets team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a