Meet this Weekend League Team Featuring 1,800 Premier League Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for the team Veterans in a 6-2 win against their opponents on 19 October (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you improve a stellar experienced team that have claimed back-to-back championships, featuring a league-cup double boasting thirty wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a group of ex- pro players who have performed at the elite tier of club and global soccer as you aim for additional trophies.

A Greater Manchester team fields an amateur veterans squad with nine ex- Premier League players in their present roster.

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

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

Their squad list this campaign boasts 9 former top-flight footballers, with a collective 1,801 Premier League matches.

This high-profile team also boasts over 220 top division scores and 325 global caps.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who netted thirty-seven goals in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for the team in their last home game versus reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also features ex- pros such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former Premier League players have secured 15 significant trophies and transferred for combined transfer fees of around £123 million.

Famous Figures and International Players

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

Ireland began turning out for the team during preseason this summer through good mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then asked additional ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek small-sided match, to join in.

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

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

"A friend Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's good fun'," said the striker.

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

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

"Those spectators who come and watch are happy and to make someone's day if they see us playing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, Niasse had his debut at full-back.

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

"I tell my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to continue attacking.

"The running is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

'Surreal Experience

In addition to the forward's six scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for the side, while George Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a triple in one game up front.

The team are top of the Top Division with three victories from 3 and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the wing for the opposition, came up against former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as featuring in more than 200 top-flight games.

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

"I felt I was a little awestruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

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

"Our side held our own for a good 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"Our group 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 match - it was like playing a group of regular guys.

"Now we are eager for the return match."

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Premier Division title last season, together with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil up and had a

Andrew Floyd
Andrew Floyd

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