Meet this Sunday Division Squad Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for Wythenshawe Veterans during a 6-2 triumph against Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you improve a stellar experienced side that have secured back-to-back championships, including a double triumph boasting thirty wins from 32 matches?

Sign a collection of ex- professionals who have competed at the elite tier of club and international football as you aim for additional honors.

A Manchester team boasts an amateur vets team with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their present roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Goals, 325 International Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are based in south the city and play in the Cheshire Vets Division Top Division.

The lineup this season includes nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a combined 1,801 elite matches.

This elite roster also includes 222 Premier League goals and over 320 global caps.

They include Papiss Cisse, who notched 37 scores in 117 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for the team in their last home match against defending title holders their rivals and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

The roster for this campaign also includes ex- pros such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League players have secured fifteen significant honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of about £123m.

Household Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Irish caps, netting four scores

Ireland began turning out for the team during preseason this summer through good mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegal striker Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five top-flight games for Everton and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in the city and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"My friend Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

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

"When you still love the game and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who turn up and see are happy and to make someone's moment if they watch us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, Niasse made 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 keep running.

"That running is what I'm seeking. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Scenario

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on debut, Ireland has netted eight in three games for the side, while Boyd scored 5 on his first match and Lescott, a defender by position, scored a triple in one match up front.

The team are leading of the Top Tier with three wins from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 top-flight matches.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager manages the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"We scored one-nil up and had a

Kellie Scott
Kellie Scott

A tech enthusiast and lifestyle writer with over a decade of experience in digital media and innovation trends.