Meet this Sunday Division Squad Featuring Over 1,800 Premier League Matches

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

What do you boost a stellar experienced side who have secured consecutive championships, including a league-cup double with thirty wins from 32 matches?

Bring in a collection of ex- professionals who have competed at the elite tier of club football and international soccer as you pursue more honors.

One Manchester team fields an non-professional vets squad with nine former Premier League players in their current squad.

222 Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are located in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Top Division.

Their squad list this season includes 9 ex- Premier League players, with a total 1,801 elite appearances.

The elite squad also includes 222 Premier League goals and over 320 global caps.

They feature one forward, who notched 37 scores in 117 games for Newcastle United after joining them for £9m from Bundesliga side Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game against defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two win - featuring a 32-minute first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's squad for this season also features former pros such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former Premier League footballers have secured 15 significant trophies and transferred for combined transfer sums of around £123 million.

Household Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned six Irish caps, scoring four scores

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the team in preseason this summer through close friend and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.

Former Senegalese forward Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five top-flight games for Everton and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against the opposition - who are located in the city and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

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

"After that he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the shock I had when I noticed them wearing Everton kits - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"Those people who turn up and watch are happy and to make someone's day if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the bench strength at the club, he made his first game at defender.

"It's a bit 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.

"The running is what I'm after. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Dreamlike' Scenario

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored 5 on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

The team are top of the Premier Division with 3 wins from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Wigan defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in addition to playing in more than 200 Premier League games.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League stars," said the player.

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

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

"We held our own for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"We really haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the journey home.

"They were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of regular guys.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

We Will Still Take the Title'

The manager coaches the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Premier Division title the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil up and had a

Terry White
Terry White

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing online slots and casino platforms, passionate about helping players make informed choices.