Meet the Sunday League Squad Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Appearances

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

What can you enhance a outstanding veteran squad who have won back-to-back titles, including a league-cup double boasting thirty wins from thirty-two games?

Recruit a group of ex- pro players that have competed at the highest tier of club football and global soccer as you target further silverware.

One Manchester side has an amateur vets squad with nine former Premier League footballers in their active squad.

222 Top Division Goals, 325 International Appearances

Wythenshawe Veterans Over-35s are situated in southern the city and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Tier.

Their lineup this campaign boasts nine former top-flight footballers, with a collective over 1,800 top-flight games.

This high-profile roster also boasts over 220 Premier League scores and 325 international caps.

They include one forward, who notched 37 scores in over 100 games for his former club after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga side Freiburg in 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home-field match against reigning champions their rivals and netted all six scores in a 6-2 victory - including a half-hour opening period triple.

The roster for this campaign also features ex- pros such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- Premier League players have secured 15 significant honors and moved for combined transfer sums of about £123m.

Household Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, scoring four goals

Stephen Ireland began playing for the side in pre-season this season through close mate and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.

Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Everton training kit as their strip.

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

"My mate Stephen told me 'join and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.

"Then he informed me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is wrong for me!

"If you still love football and you feel you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"The people who turn up and see are pleased and to make someone's day if they see us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, he had his first game at defender.

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

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

"The running is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

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

Unreal Experience

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in three games for the side, while Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with 3 wins from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who features on the flank 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.

He has played at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over two hundred Premier League games.

"It was spreading like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League stars," remarked Barrow.

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

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

"We held our own for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"We literally haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the journey home.

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

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

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager manages the opposition veterans side, who won the Premier Tier title the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil up and had a

Jeffrey Fisher
Jeffrey Fisher

Logistics expert with 10 years experience in international tracking systems and supply chain management.