🔗 Share this article

How do you enhance a outstanding veteran squad that have secured back-to-back championships, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 victories from 32 games?

Recruit a collection of former professionals who have performed at the elite level of club football and international football as you pursue more honors.

A Greater Manchester side has an non-professional veterans team with nine former Premier League footballers in their active lineup.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Goals, 325 Global Caps

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

Their roster this season includes 9 ex- top-flight players, with a combined over 1,800 top-flight appearances.

This elite squad also includes 222 Premier League scores and 325 global caps.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven goals in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after signing for them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home-field match against defending title holders their rivals and netted all six goals in a six-two victory - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also includes former professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- Premier League footballers have won fifteen major trophies and moved for combined transfer sums of about £123m.

Household Names and International Players

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the team in pre-season this season through good mate and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek small-sided match, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 scores in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

"A mate Stephen said 'join and play, it's good fun'," commented Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Blue shirts - I say this is strange for me!

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

"Those people who come and watch are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us playing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, he made his debut at full-back.

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

"I tell my defender 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to continue running.

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

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to the forward's 6 goals on debut, Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit five on his first match and Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a triple in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Division with three victories from three and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for his country, in as well as playing in more than two hundred Premier League games.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League players," remarked Barrow.

"I think I was a little awestruck facing him to be honest.

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

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

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

"The opponents were all friendly, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a group of normal guys.

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate veterans side, who secured the Top Tier championship the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"We went 1-0 ahead and had a