Discover this Sunday Division Squad Boasting Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Matches
How do you enhance a stellar veteran team that have won consecutive championships, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from 32 matches?
Sign a collection of ex- pro players that have played at the highest tier of club and global soccer as you target additional trophies.
A Greater Manchester club fields an non-professional veterans team with 9 former Premier League footballers in their present lineup.
222 Top Division Goals, 325 Global Appearances
Wythenshawe Veterans Over-35s are based in south the city and compete in the Cheshire Vets Division Top Tier.
The squad list this campaign features nine ex- Premier League players, with a collective nearly 1,800 Premier League matches.
The elite squad also contains 222 top division goals and over 320 global appearances.
The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who notched thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in January 2012.
He made his first appearance for the team in their last home match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six scores in a six-two win - featuring a 32-minute first-half triple.
The team for this season also includes ex- pros such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
Collectively, the former Premier League players have secured fifteen significant honors and transferred for total transfer sums of around £123m.
Well-Known Names and International Stars
Ireland began playing for the team during pre-season this season through good mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.
Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in 65 top-flight games for the Toffees and even now goes to their home games, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.
"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and play, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.
"After that he told me we were playing a side from the city and the shock I had when I saw them wearing Blue shirts - I say this is wrong for me!
"When you still love football and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?
"The people who come and see are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the joy of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."
Such is the strength in depth at the club, he had his first game at defender.
"It's a bit unusual but then, I love running and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he said.
"I tell my centre-back 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to continue running.
"The movement is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."
'Surreal Experience
Along with the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit 5 on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a triple in one game as a striker.
Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Division with three victories from three and a GD of +19.
Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Emile Heskey was.
He has played at 2 World Cups for his country, in as well as playing in more than 200 Premier League matches.
"The news was going round like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.
"I think I was a bit starstruck playing against him to be honest.
"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's got 60-odd England caps.
"We competed well for a good 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.
"We really haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the way home.
"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of normal fellas.
"Now we can't wait for the return match."
We Will Still Win the League'
Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Premier Division championship last season, along with his co-manager.
"We went one-nil ahead and had a