🔗 Share this article

What can you improve a stellar veteran team that have secured back-to-back titles, including a double triumph boasting thirty victories from 32 matches?

Bring in a raft of former pro players who have performed at the highest level of club and global football as you target more honors.

One Manchester team boasts an amateur vets team with 9 former top-flight footballers in their current roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are located in south the city and compete in the Cheshire Veterans League Premier Division.

The roster this campaign boasts nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a collective over 1,800 elite matches.

This elite team also boasts over 220 Premier League goals and over 320 international caps.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who scored 37 scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga side Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game against reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - featuring a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

The squad for this campaign also includes former pros such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former top-flight players have won fifteen major honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of around £123 million.

Famous Figures and Global Stars

Ireland began playing for the team during pre-season this season through close mate and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then invited additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 top-flight games for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and use an Everton training kit as their uniform.

"A mate Stephen Ireland said 'come and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.

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

"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those people who come and see are pleased and to make a moment if they see us playing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us getting a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, he made his first game at full-back.

"It's a little unusual but then, I love running and just go inside - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

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

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

'Surreal Experience

In addition to Cisse's 6 scores on his first game, Ireland has netted 8 in 3 games for the side, while Boyd hit five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, scored a triple in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Division with three wins from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for his country, in as well as featuring in over 200 Premier League matches.

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

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

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

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

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

"The opponents were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of regular fellas.

"Now we are eager for the return match."

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the opposition vets side, who won the Top Division championship last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We scored one-nil ahead and had a