🔗 Share this article

What can you enhance a outstanding veteran team who have claimed back-to-back titles, including a double triumph with thirty victories from 32 matches?

Recruit a raft of former pro players that have competed at the highest level of club and global soccer as you aim for more honors.

One Greater Manchester side has an amateur veterans squad with nine ex- Premier League players in their active roster.

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

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are situated in south the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Top Division.

Their lineup this campaign features nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a collective 1,801 Premier League matches.

This star-studded roster also boasts over 220 top division scores and 325 international caps.

The squad include one forward, who netted 37 goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for £9m from German league side Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field match versus reigning title holders their rivals and netted all six scores in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

The squad for this campaign also includes ex- professionals such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former Premier League footballers have secured fifteen big honors and moved for total transfer fees of around £123m.

Famous Figures and Global Players

Ireland started turning out for the team during pre-season this summer through close friend and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all play in a midweek small-sided match, to participate.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who scored 12 scores in sixty-five top-flight games for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," said the striker.

"Then he informed me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I say this is strange for me!

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

"The fans who come and see are happy and to give someone's day if they see us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

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

"That's a little unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move inside - 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 movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

Unreal Experience

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Ireland has netted eight in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd scored 5 on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Division with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two global tournaments for his country, in as well as featuring in more than 200 top-flight matches.

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

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

"Even Heskey got on and he's has over 60 English caps.

"We competed well for a good 20 mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"Our group literally have not stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and sibling on the way home.

"They were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a group of normal guys.

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

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager coaches the opposition veterans team, who secured the Premier Division title the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"Our team scored one-nil up and had a