Introduce the Weekend Division Team Featuring Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Games

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

What can you enhance a outstanding experienced team that have secured consecutive titles, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 victories from thirty-two matches?

Recruit a collection of former pro players that have competed at the top level of club and global football as you target more honors.

One Greater Manchester team fields an non-professional veterans team with nine former Premier League players in their present roster.

222 Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Veterans Over-35s are located in southern the city and play in the Cheshire Veterans League Premier Division.

Their lineup this season includes nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a combined 1,801 top-flight appearances.

The high-profile roster also contains 222 top division scores and over 320 international appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who netted 37 goals in over 100 appearances for his former club after joining them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse had his debut for the team in their most recent home game against reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six goals in a six-two victory - including a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also includes former professionals such as England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former Premier League footballers have secured 15 major trophies and moved for total transfer sums of about £123m.

Famous Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Irish caps, netting 4 scores

Ireland started turning out for the team in pre-season this season through close friend and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a midweek small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut 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 mate Stephen Ireland told me 'join and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.

"After that he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"When you still love the game and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to choose?

"The people who come and see are pleased and to make someone's moment if they see us competing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

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

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just go inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"I warn my centre-back 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep running.

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

'Surreal Scenario

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Ireland has scored 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his first match and Joleon 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 victories from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the wing for the opposition, came up against ex- Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for his country, in addition to featuring in over two hundred top-flight matches.

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League players," said Barrow.

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

"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's has 60-odd English appearances.

"We held our own for a good 20 minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was tough.

"Our group literally have not ceased chatting about it - I was phoning my mum and brother on the way home.

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

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

'We'll Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the opposition veterans team, who won the Premier Tier title the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil ahead and had a

Justin Bird
Justin Bird

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