🔗 Share this article

What can you improve a excellent veteran side who have won consecutive titles, including a league-cup double with 30 victories from 32 games?

Bring in a group of ex- professionals who have played at the elite level of club and global soccer as you pursue more honors.

A Greater Manchester club fields an amateur vets squad with nine ex- top-flight footballers in their current squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, 325 International Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are situated in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Tier.

Their lineup this season includes 9 ex- Premier League footballers, with a collective 1,801 Premier League matches.

This elite squad also contains over 220 top division scores and 325 global caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who notched thirty-seven scores in 117 games for his former club after joining them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home match against defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six scores in a 6-2 victory - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also includes former pros such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former Premier League footballers have claimed 15 significant honors and moved for total transfer fees of around £123m.

Household Figures and International Players

Ireland began turning out for the side in preseason this summer through close friend and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then invited additional former professionals, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side match, to participate.

Former Senegal forward Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 Premier League matches for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut versus the opposition - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Blue training kit as their uniform.

"A friend Stephen said 'join and play, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

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

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

"The spectators who turn up and see are pleased and to give someone's day if they see us competing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

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

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

"I warn my defender 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.

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

Unreal Scenario

Along with the forward's six scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

The team are top of the Top Tier with 3 wins from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

He has played at 2 global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in over 200 top-flight matches.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," remarked Barrow.

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

"Even Emile [Heskey] came on and he's got 60-odd England caps.

"Our side competed well for a good 20 mins but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.

"We really haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mum and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second match."

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager manages the opposition veterans side, who secured the Premier Division title the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a