Meet this Sunday League Club Boasting Over 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

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

How do you enhance a excellent veteran team that have claimed consecutive championships, featuring a league-cup double boasting thirty victories from 32 games?

Bring in a raft of former pro players that have played at the top tier of club football and international soccer as you target more trophies.

One Greater Manchester side has an non-professional veterans squad with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their active roster.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 International Caps

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

The squad list this campaign boasts nine former top-flight footballers, with a total 1,801 elite games.

This high-profile roster also includes 222 Premier League scores and over 320 international appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who notched 37 goals in 117 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home match versus defending champions their rivals and netted every one of the six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

The team for this campaign also includes former pros such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former top-flight footballers have won fifteen major trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of around £123m.

Well-Known Figures and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won 6 Irish appearances, scoring 4 scores

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the team during preseason this season through good mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 Premier League matches for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also made his debut versus the opposition - who are located in the city and wear an Everton training kit as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for Everton between 2016 and 2020

"My mate Stephen Ireland told me 'join and have a game, it's a laugh'," said the striker.

"After that he told me we were facing a team from the city and the shock I had when I saw them wearing Blue shirts - I say this is wrong for me!

"If you still love football and you know you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who come and watch are happy and to give a moment if they watch us competing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he had his first game at full-back.

"It's a bit different but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move inside - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

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

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

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

Unreal Feeling

Along with Cisse's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

The team are leading of the Top Tier with three wins from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in more than 200 Premier League games.

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

"I think I was a bit awestruck playing against him to be honest.

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

"We competed well for a solid twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

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

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

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

We Will Still Win the League'

The manager manages the opposition vets team, who won the Premier Tier championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went one-nil up and had a

Connie Perry
Connie Perry

A passionate game designer and critic with over a decade of experience in the tabletop industry, specializing in strategy games and RPG mechanics.