Discover the Sunday Division Squad With 1,800 English Top Division Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for Wythenshawe Vets during a 6-2 victory versus their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you improve a stellar veteran squad that have secured consecutive championships, including a double triumph boasting 30 wins from thirty-two games?

Recruit a collection of former professionals that have played at the highest tier of club football and international football as you aim for more honors.

One Manchester side fields an non-professional veterans squad with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their present roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Veterans Over 35s are situated in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire Veterans Division Premier Tier.

Their squad list this campaign features 9 ex- top-flight players, with a collective nearly 1,800 Premier League matches.

The star-studded roster also contains over 220 top division goals and over 320 global caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after signing for them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for the team in their last home-field match against defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a 32-minute first-half triple.

The roster for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former top-flight players have secured 15 major honors and transferred for combined transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Well-Known Names and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won six Irish caps, netting 4 scores

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the side during pre-season this summer through good friend and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other ex-pros, who all compete in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Former Senegalese forward Niasse, who netted 12 scores in 65 top-flight matches for Everton and even now attends their home games, also made his debut against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Blue training kit as their strip.

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

"My mate Stephen said 'come and play, it's good fun'," said the striker.

"Then he informed me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still enjoy football and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"The spectators who turn up and see are happy and to make a moment if they see us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, he made his debut at full-back.

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

"I warn my defender 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to continue running.

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

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

Dreamlike' Experience

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three games for the side, while Boyd hit 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a defender by position, notched a triple in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Tier with three victories from three and a goal difference of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 World Cups for his country, in as well as playing in more than 200 top-flight games.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had these former top-flight players," remarked Barrow.

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

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

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

"Our group literally have not stopped talking about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets side, who won the Top Division championship the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"We went one-nil up and had a

Luis Jones
Luis Jones

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino strategy and game development.