🔗 Share this article

How do you enhance a outstanding experienced team who have claimed consecutive titles, featuring a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from thirty-two games?

Recruit a group of ex- professionals that have played at the top tier of club football and global soccer as you target further silverware.

One Greater Manchester club has an amateur vets squad with 9 former Premier League footballers in their present lineup.

222 Premier League Goals, 325 Global Caps

Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are located in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Tier.

Their lineup this campaign boasts 9 former top-flight footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League games.

The high-profile team also boasts over 220 Premier League goals and over 320 global caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 scores in 117 games for Newcastle United after signing for them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field game against reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

The roster for this campaign also features former pros such as England and Anfield 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.

Collectively, the ex- Premier League players have claimed 15 major trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of around £123 million.

Famous Names and International Players

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this season through good friend and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked other ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 scores in sixty-five Premier League games for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also made his debut against the opposition - who are based in the city and wear an Everton training kit as their uniform.

"A mate Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's a laugh'," said the striker.

"After that he informed me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue shirts - I say this is wrong for me!

"When you still love football and you feel you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those people who turn up and see are happy and to make someone's moment if they see us playing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his first game at defender.

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

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

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

Unreal Scenario

In addition to Cisse's six goals on debut, Ireland has netted eight in three games for the side, while George Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a triple in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Tier with three victories from three and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 top-flight matches.

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

"I felt I was a little starstruck facing him to be honest.

"Also Emile [Heskey] got on and he's has 60-odd England caps.

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

"We really haven't ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the way home.

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

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

We Will Still Take the Title'

The manager coaches the opposition vets team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil up and had a