Meet this Sunday League Squad Featuring Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for Wythenshawe Veterans during a six-two victory against Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (from left to right) - one player, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you improve a outstanding experienced side who have won back-to-back titles, featuring a double triumph with 30 victories from 32 matches?

Bring in a group of ex- pro players who have played at the highest level of club and international football as you aim for further trophies.

A Greater Manchester club has an amateur veterans squad with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their current roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, 325 Global Caps

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

The lineup this campaign features nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a collective 1,801 elite matches.

The elite roster also contains over 220 Premier League scores and 325 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who scored 37 scores in over 100 games for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse had his debut for the team in their most recent home-field game versus defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a six-two victory - including a 32-minute opening period hat-trick.

The team for this campaign also features ex- pros such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- top-flight players have secured fifteen significant honors and moved for total transfer fees of around £123 million.

Famous Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He won 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, netting four goals

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side during pre-season this season through close mate and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.

Former Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 scores in 65 top-flight games for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and use an Blue training kit as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse featured for the club from 2016 and 2020

"My friend Stephen told me 'come and play, it's enjoyable'," commented the striker.

"Then he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton kits - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"The spectators who come and watch are happy and to give someone's moment if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his debut at full-back.

"That's a little unusual but then, I love sprinting and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

"The movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Unreal Scenario

Along with Cisse's 6 goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for the side, while Boyd scored five on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, scored a triple in one game as a striker.

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

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for the opposition, faced former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to featuring in over two hundred Premier League matches.

"It was spreading like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.

"I think I was a little awestruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

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

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

"We really haven't stopped talking about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the way home.

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

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

We Will Still Take the Title'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate veterans team, who won the Top Division championship last season, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a

Kaylee Cox
Kaylee Cox

Urban lifestyle writer with a passion for sustainable city living and modern design trends.