Meet this Weekend Division Squad Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Veterans in a six-two triumph versus their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you boost a excellent experienced side who have won back-to-back titles, featuring a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from 32 games?

Recruit a raft of ex- pro players who have performed at the top level of club football and international soccer as you pursue further honors.

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

222 Top Division Goals, 325 Global Appearances

Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are located in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Top Division.

Their lineup this season includes nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a combined nearly 1,800 elite matches.

This elite roster also boasts over 220 Premier League goals and over 320 global caps.

The squad feature one forward, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 games for his former club after signing for them for £9m from German league side SC Freiburg in 2012.

He had his debut for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field game against reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six scores in a six-two victory - including a 32-minute opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also includes former professionals such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- top-flight players have claimed 15 major honors and transferred for total transfer fees of about £123 million.

Household Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, scoring 4 scores

Ireland started playing for the side in pre-season this season through good friend and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side game, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for the club between 2016 and 2020

"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and play, it's good fun'," commented the striker.

"Then he told me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

"When you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who turn up and watch are pleased and to make someone's moment if they see us competing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, Niasse made his first game at defender.

"That's a bit unusual but then, I enjoy running and just move forward - 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.

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

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

Dreamlike' Feeling

Along with the forward's 6 scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd hit five on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

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

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over 200 Premier League games.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League stars," said the player.

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

"Even Emile [Heskey] came on and he's has over 60 England appearances.

"Our side competed well for a good twenty minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"Our group literally have not stopped talking about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the way home.

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of regular fellas.

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

'We'll Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition veterans side, who won the Top Division title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went 1-0 ahead and had a

Sandra Erickson
Sandra Erickson

A seasoned IT strategist with over 15 years of experience in digital innovation and cloud solutions.