Discover this Sunday Division Team Featuring Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Veterans during a six-two victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you improve a excellent veteran team that have secured consecutive titles, including a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from 32 matches?

Recruit a raft of former pro players who have played at the highest tier of club and international soccer as you aim for further honors.

One Greater Manchester club boasts an non-professional veterans team with nine ex- top-flight players in their active squad.

222 Top Division Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Caps

The team Vets Over 35s are situated in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Tier.

Their squad list this campaign boasts 9 former top-flight players, with a total 1,801 elite appearances.

This high-profile roster also boasts 222 top division scores and 325 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who scored thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse had his debut for the team in their last home-field game against reigning champions their rivals and scored all six scores in a six-two win - including a 32-minute opening period hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's squad for this season also includes former pros such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former top-flight players have secured 15 major trophies and moved for total transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Famous Figures and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Irish appearances, netting four goals

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the side during pre-season this summer through good friend and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other ex-pros, who all play in a midweek small-sided match, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 top-flight games for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for the club between 2016 and 2020

"A mate Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were playing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Everton kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"When you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"Those fans who turn up and watch are happy and to make someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the joy of us getting a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his first game at full-back.

"That's a bit different but then, I love sprinting and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

"That running is what I'm after. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

'Surreal Scenario

In addition to the forward's 6 goals on debut, Ireland has scored eight in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Division with three victories from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the wing for the opposition, faced ex- Latics full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 World Cups for his country, in as well as playing in over two hundred top-flight games.

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these former top-flight stars," said the player.

"I think I was a bit starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

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

"Our side competed well for a good twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"Our group literally haven't stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the journey home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second match."

We Will Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate vets side, who won the Top Division championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil up and had a

Jon Roy
Jon Roy

Seorang penulis konten judi online dengan pengalaman 5 tahun dalam industri iGaming.