Meet this Weekend Division Club Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for the team Vets in a six-two victory versus their opponents on 19 October (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you enhance a excellent experienced team who have won consecutive championships, featuring a double triumph with 30 victories from 32 games?

Recruit a group of ex- pro players who have competed at the highest level of club and global football as you pursue further trophies.

A Manchester side fields an non-professional veterans team with 9 ex- Premier League players in their present squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, 325 Global Appearances

The team Veterans Over-35s are based in south the city and play in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Division.

Their roster this season includes 9 ex- Premier League players, with a collective 1,801 top-flight games.

This star-studded squad also boasts 222 top division scores and over 320 global appearances.

They include Papiss Cisse, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 games for his former club after moving to them for £9m from German league club Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home-field game against defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a six-two victory - including a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's squad for this season also features ex- pros such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League players have claimed 15 major honors and moved for combined transfer sums of about £123m.

Famous Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won six Irish caps, netting 4 scores

Ireland began playing for the side during pre-season this summer through close friend and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side game, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 Premier League games for Everton and still attends their home games, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse played for Everton between 2016 and 2020

"A friend Stephen Ireland said 'come and play, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

"Then he told me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I saw 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, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"Those people who come and watch are pleased and to make someone's 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 organisation of course."

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

"It's a bit unusual but then, I love running and just go inside - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

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

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

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

Unreal Experience

In addition to the forward's 6 goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in 3 appearances for the side, while George Boyd scored 5 on his debut appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Division with 3 wins from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Emile Heskey was.

He has played at 2 World Cups for his country, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League games.

"It was spreading like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," said the player.

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

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

"We competed well for a good 20 mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group literally haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mother and sibling on the way home.

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

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager manages the opposition veterans side, who won the Premier Division title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We scored one-nil ahead and had a

Thomas Cuevas
Thomas Cuevas

An avid outdoor enthusiast and travel writer with a passion for exploring Sardinia's natural landscapes and sharing adventure tips.