Discover the Sunday League Club Featuring Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans during a 6-2 triumph against Collegiate Old Boys on October 19th (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you improve a stellar experienced team that have claimed consecutive championships, featuring a league-cup double boasting thirty wins from 32 matches?

Bring in a group of ex- professionals who have performed at the top tier of club and international football as you pursue further honors.

A Greater Manchester team fields an amateur vets squad with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their active roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Caps

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are situated in south the city and play in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Premier Division.

Their lineup this campaign features nine ex- top-flight players, with a combined over 1,800 elite games.

The star-studded roster also boasts 222 Premier League scores and over 320 global caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who scored 37 goals in over 100 games for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for the team in their last home-field match versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six goals in a 6-2 victory - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also includes ex- pros such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- top-flight players have secured fifteen major honors and transferred for total transfer fees of around £123 million.

Famous Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned six Irish appearances, netting 4 scores

Stephen Ireland began playing for the team in preseason this season through close mate and present team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided match, to participate.

Former Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 scores in sixty-five top-flight games for the Toffees and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"A mate Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"After that he told me we were playing a side from the city and the shock I had when I noticed them wearing Blue shirts - I say this is wrong for me!

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

"The people who come and watch are happy and to make someone's day if they watch us playing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

So great is the bench strength at the club, Niasse made his debut at full-back.

"That's a bit different but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move inside - I'm not staying back that much," he added.

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Unreal Scenario

Along with Cisse's six scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit 5 on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

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

One opponent, 38, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Emile Heskey was.

He has played at two World Cups for Honduras, in addition to featuring in over 200 Premier League games.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.

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

"Even Heskey got on and he's has over 60 England appearances.

"We held our own for a good twenty mins but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.

"We really haven't stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mother and brother on the journey home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

We Will Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets team, who secured the Top Tier title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a

Wayne Hall
Wayne Hall

Wildlife biologist and conservationist with over a decade of experience studying sloths in Central and South America.