Meet the Weekend Division Squad With Over 1,800 English Top Division Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Vets in a six-two victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you boost a outstanding experienced team who have secured back-to-back titles, including a double triumph boasting 30 wins from 32 matches?

Bring in a group of former pro players that have competed at the elite level of club football and international soccer as you aim for additional silverware.

One Greater Manchester team has an amateur vets team with nine ex- Premier League players in their active lineup.

222 Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

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

Their lineup this season boasts 9 ex- top-flight players, with a combined over 1,800 top-flight games.

The star-studded roster also contains 222 Premier League goals and 325 global appearances.

They feature one forward, who scored thirty-seven goals in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field match versus defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a 6-2 victory - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also includes former professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former Premier League players have claimed 15 major honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Well-Known Names and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won six Republic of Ireland caps, scoring 4 scores

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the side during pre-season this season through good mate and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Ex- Senegal forward Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five top-flight games for Everton and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their strip.

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

"A friend Stephen Ireland said 'come and play, it's good fun'," commented the striker.

"Then he informed me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I saw them sporting Blue shirts - I say this is wrong for me!

"If you still enjoy football and you know you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to choose?

"The spectators who come and see are pleased and to make someone's day 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 squad depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his first game at defender.

"That's a little unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he said.

"I warn my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep running.

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

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

Dreamlike' Feeling

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his first match and Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a triple in one match up front.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Tier with 3 wins from three and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

He has played at 2 global tournaments for his country, in as well as playing in more than 200 Premier League games.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League stars," remarked Barrow.

"I think I was a bit starstruck facing him to be honest.

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

"We held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.

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

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

"Now we are eager for the return match."

'We'll Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Top Division championship last season, along with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil up and had a

Timothy Chavez
Timothy Chavez

Elena is a tech enthusiast specializing in wave propagation and data infrastructure, with over a decade of experience in signal processing research.