Discover the Weekend Division Team Featuring Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for the team 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

What do you improve a outstanding veteran team that have secured back-to-back titles, featuring a league-cup double boasting thirty victories from 32 matches?

Bring in a group of ex- professionals that have played at the elite level of club football and global soccer as you target further silverware.

A Manchester team has an non-professional veterans team with 9 ex- top-flight players in their active squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

The team Veterans Over 35s are based in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire Vets Division Top Tier.

The squad list this season boasts 9 ex- top-flight players, with a collective nearly 1,800 elite games.

The star-studded roster also contains over 220 Premier League scores and 325 global caps.

They feature one forward, who scored thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after signing for them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse had his debut for the team in their last home match versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

The roster for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League players have claimed 15 major honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of approximately £123m.

Famous Figures and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Republic of Ireland caps, netting four scores

Ireland began turning out for the team during pre-season this season through good mate and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for the Toffees and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse played for Everton from 2016 and 2020

"My friend Stephen told me 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," said the striker.

"After that he told me we were playing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I saw them wearing Blue kits - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"The fans who come and see are happy and to give a moment if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the bench strength at the club, he had his first game at full-back.

"That's a little unusual but then, I enjoy running and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"I tell 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 enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Dreamlike' Scenario

In addition to the forward's six scores on his first game, Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit five on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a hat-trick in one match up front.

The team are leading of the Premier Division with 3 victories from three and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 World Cups for his country, in as well as playing in over two hundred Premier League matches.

"The news was spreading like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League stars," remarked the player.

"I think I was a bit awestruck facing Figueroa to be honest.

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

"Our side held our own for a good 20 mins but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

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

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

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

'We'll Still Take the Title'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Top Division title the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored one-nil up and had a

Renee Stone
Renee Stone

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