Discover the Sunday Division Squad With Over 1,800 English Top Division Games

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

What can you improve a excellent experienced side that have secured consecutive championships, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from 32 matches?

Sign a group of ex- professionals who have performed at the top tier of club football and global soccer as you aim for additional trophies.

One Manchester team boasts an amateur veterans squad with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their active squad.

222 Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Caps

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are located in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Top Tier.

The squad list this season boasts 9 former top-flight footballers, with a collective over 1,800 elite games.

This elite team also contains 222 Premier League scores and 325 global appearances.

They include Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home game against defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also features ex- professionals such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League players have secured 15 major trophies and transferred for total transfer fees of approximately £123 million.

Well-Known Figures and Global Players

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

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this summer through close friend and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 top-flight games for the Toffees and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their uniform.

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

"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," commented Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Everton kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"When you still love football and you know you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to choose?

"Those fans who turn up and watch are happy and to make a day if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the strength in depth at the club, he made his first game at defender.

"It's a little different but then, I enjoy running and just go forward - I'm not staying back that much," he added.

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

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

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

Dreamlike' Scenario

Along with Cisse's six goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for the side, while George Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

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

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

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

"It was spreading like wildfire they had these former top-flight stars," remarked Barrow.

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

"Also Heskey got on and he's got 60-odd English caps.

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

"We literally have not stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the journey home.

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a group of normal guys.

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager coaches the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Premier Tier championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a

Benjamin Lewis
Benjamin Lewis

Marcus is a digital strategist with over a decade of experience in SEO and content marketing, specializing in helping UK businesses scale online.