Introduce the Sunday Division Club With Over 1,800 Premier League Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans in a 6-2 triumph versus their opponents on 19 October (left to right) - one player, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you improve a outstanding veteran team who have won consecutive championships, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 victories from 32 games?

Bring in a collection of former professionals who have competed at the top tier of club and global soccer as you aim for additional silverware.

One Greater Manchester side boasts an amateur veterans team with nine ex- top-flight players in their current lineup.

222 Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Appearances

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

Their squad list this season includes 9 former Premier League players, with a combined over 1,800 top-flight matches.

The high-profile roster also boasts over 220 top division scores and over 320 international appearances.

They include one forward, who scored 37 scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home match against reigning champions their rivals and netted all six scores in a 6-2 win - including a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also features former professionals such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former Premier League players have claimed 15 significant honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of around £123m.

Household Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned six Irish caps, netting 4 goals

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side during preseason this season through close friend and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then invited other ex-pros, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who scored 12 scores in 65 Premier League games for Everton and still attends their home games, also made his first appearance against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Blue training kit as their uniform.

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

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

"Then he informed me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Blue kits - I thought 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 do?

"Those spectators who come and see are pleased and to give someone's moment if they see us competing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

So great is the strength in depth at the club, he had his debut at full-back.

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

"I warn my centre-back 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to keep running.

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

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

Unreal Experience

Along with the forward's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in 3 games for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a triple in one match as a striker.

The team are leading of the Premier Tier with 3 wins from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the wing for the opposition, came up against ex- Wigan defender Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

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

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

"I think I was a little starstruck playing against him to be honest.

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

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

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

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

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

We Will Still Take the League'

The manager manages the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Top Division title the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"We scored 1-0 ahead and had a

John Thompson
John Thompson

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