🔗 Share this article

How do you boost a excellent experienced team that have claimed consecutive championships, including a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 games?

Sign a raft of former professionals who have performed at the top level of club football and international soccer as you pursue more silverware.

A Manchester team has an non-professional veterans team with 9 former top-flight players in their current lineup.

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

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are situated in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets Division Top Tier.

The roster this season includes nine ex- Premier League players, with a combined over 1,800 top-flight appearances.

This star-studded roster also boasts 222 Premier League scores and over 320 global appearances.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who notched 37 scores in over 100 games for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club Freiburg in 2012.

He made his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home game against reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 win - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

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

Together, the former top-flight footballers have claimed 15 big honors and moved for total transfer fees of around £123 million.

Famous Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland began playing for the team in pre-season this summer through good mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other ex-pros, who all play in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Former Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in 65 top-flight games for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

"My mate Stephen told me 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

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

"If you still enjoy football and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who turn up and watch are happy and to make a moment if they see us playing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the joy of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, he made his debut at defender.

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

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

Unreal Feeling

Along with Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Ireland has scored eight in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit 5 on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

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

One opponent, 38, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in as well as playing in over 200 Premier League matches.

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

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

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

"Our side held our own for a good twenty minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"We literally haven't stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the journey home.

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

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

'We'll Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition vets team, who secured the Premier Tier title last season, along with his co-manager.

"Our team went 1-0 up and had a