Meet the Weekend League Club Featuring 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for the team Veterans during a 6-2 triumph versus their opponents on October 19th (left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you enhance a stellar veteran side that have won consecutive championships, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 wins from 32 matches?

Sign a collection of ex- professionals who have competed at the top tier of club football and global soccer as you target further trophies.

A Greater Manchester club boasts an amateur vets squad with nine former top-flight footballers in their present roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Scores, 325 International Appearances

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

The roster this campaign boasts 9 ex- top-flight footballers, with a collective nearly 1,800 Premier League appearances.

This high-profile roster also contains 222 top division scores and over 320 global appearances.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who notched 37 goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for £9m from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game versus reigning champions their rivals and netted all six goals in a six-two victory - including a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this campaign also features former pros such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- Premier League players have claimed 15 big trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of about £123m.

Household Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned six Republic of Ireland caps, scoring four goals

Ireland began turning out for the side during pre-season this summer through good friend and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek small-sided match, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese forward Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five Premier League matches for the Toffees and still attends their home games, also had his debut against the opposition - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Everton training kit as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse featured for Everton between 2016 and 2020

"A friend Stephen Ireland said 'come and play, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue kits - I say this is strange for me!

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

"The people who come and watch are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us playing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, he had his debut at defender.

"It's a little different but then, I enjoy running and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

"The movement is what I'm looking for. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Dreamlike' Experience

Along with Cisse's six scores on his first game, Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

The team are leading of the Top Tier with 3 wins from three and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 global tournaments for his country, in as well as playing in more than 200 top-flight games.

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

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

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

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

"We really have not stopped talking about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the journey home.

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

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

We Will Still Take the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition veterans side, who won the Premier Tier title last season, together with his co-manager.

"Our team went one-nil ahead and had a

Gina Davis
Gina Davis

Eleanor is a British historian and writer specializing in UK culture and heritage.