Meet this Sunday League Club Boasting Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Vets during a six-two win against their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you enhance a excellent experienced team that have claimed consecutive championships, including a double triumph with 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a raft of former professionals that have competed at the highest tier of club and global football as you pursue further honors.

A Greater Manchester team fields an non-professional vets squad with nine ex- Premier League footballers in their active lineup.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 International Caps

The team Vets Over-35s are based in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Veterans League Premier Division.

The squad list this campaign features 9 ex- Premier League players, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League appearances.

The elite roster also boasts over 220 top division scores and over 320 international caps.

The squad feature one forward, who scored thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for his former club after joining them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his first appearance for the team in their last home match versus reigning title holders their rivals and netted every one of the six goals in a six-two win - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

The team for this season also includes ex- pros such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former top-flight footballers have claimed 15 significant trophies and moved for combined transfer sums of around £123 million.

Famous Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He won six Republic of Ireland appearances, netting 4 goals

Ireland started playing for the team in pre-season this summer through good mate and present team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 top-flight matches for Everton and even now goes to their home games, also made his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"A friend Stephen told me 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"After that he told me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"When you still love the game and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"The spectators who turn up and see are happy and to give a moment if they see us competing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the joy of us getting a place we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he had his first game at defender.

"That's a little unusual but then, I enjoy running and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

Unreal Experience

Along with Cisse's six scores on debut, Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a hat-trick in one match up front.

The team are leading of the Premier Division with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Latics full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to featuring in over 200 top-flight games.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," said the player.

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

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

"Our side competed well for a solid 20 minutes but then we had a man dismissed and it was hard.

"Our group literally have not stopped chatting 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 playing a group of normal guys.

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

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Top Division title last season, together with his co-manager.

"We went 1-0 up and had a

Rebecca Jimenez
Rebecca Jimenez

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