Meet the Weekend Division Club Featuring Over 1,800 Premier League Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for the team Veterans during a six-two triumph 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 stellar veteran side that have secured consecutive titles, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from 32 games?

Bring in a raft of former pro players that have competed at the elite level of club football and international football as you target further honors.

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

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

The team Vets Over-35s are located in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Premier Division.

The roster this campaign boasts 9 ex- Premier League players, with a collective 1,801 elite matches.

This star-studded squad also contains 222 top division scores and 325 international caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven scores in over 100 games for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home game versus reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a 6-2 victory - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this campaign also features former professionals such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- top-flight footballers have won 15 big honors and transferred for total transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Household Figures and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned six Republic of Ireland appearances, netting 4 goals

Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this season through good mate and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side match, to join in.

Ex- Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in 65 top-flight games for the Toffees and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in the city and use an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"A mate Stephen Ireland told me 'come and have a game, it's good fun'," said Niasse.

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

"When you still enjoy the game and you know you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"The spectators who come and watch are happy and to give a moment if they watch us playing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

So great is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he had his debut at defender.

"That's a bit unusual but then, I love running and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's 6 scores on debut, Ireland has scored 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit 5 on his first appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one game as a striker.

The team are leading of the Top Division with 3 wins from 3 and a GD of +19.

One opponent, 38, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in more than 200 Premier League games.

"The news was spreading like wildfire they had these former top-flight players," said Barrow.

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

"Also Heskey got on and he's got over 60 English appearances.

"Our side held our own for a solid 20 minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"We really have not stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the way home.

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a bunch of regular guys.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

'We'll Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition vets team, who secured the Premier Tier title last season, together with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil ahead and had a

Gwendolyn Allen
Gwendolyn Allen

A technology consultant with over 12 years of experience in IT infrastructure and digital transformation strategies.