🔗 Share this article

What do you enhance a stellar veteran team that have claimed consecutive championships, including a league-cup double with thirty victories from 32 matches?

Bring in a group of former pro players that have played at the elite level of club football and global football as you target more silverware.

One Greater Manchester club boasts an non-professional vets team with 9 ex- top-flight players in their present lineup.

222 Premier League Goals, 325 Global Caps

The team Veterans Over 35s are situated in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire Veterans League Premier Division.

The lineup this campaign boasts nine former Premier League footballers, with a combined over 1,800 Premier League games.

This high-profile team also contains over 220 Premier League scores and over 320 international appearances.

They feature one forward, who scored 37 scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after signing for them for £9m from Bundesliga club Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home game versus reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored every one of the six scores in a 6-2 win - including a half-hour first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also features former professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- top-flight players have secured 15 major honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Household Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side during pre-season this summer through close mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side match, to join in.

Former Senegalese forward Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and use an Everton training kit as their uniform.

"A mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said the striker.

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

"If you still love the game and you know you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?

"The spectators who turn up and see are pleased and to give a moment if they watch us playing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse had his first game at full-back.

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

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

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

'Surreal Scenario

Along with the forward's six scores on his first game, Ireland has netted 8 in three games for the side, while George Boyd scored five on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by position, scored a triple in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Division with three wins from 3 and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two global tournaments for his country, in as well as featuring in more than two hundred Premier League matches.

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

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

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

"Our side competed well for a solid twenty mins but then we had a man sent off and it was tough.

"We literally haven't stopped talking about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the way home.

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a group of regular fellas.

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

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager manages the opposition vets side, who secured the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a