Discover the Sunday League Team With 1,800 Premier League Games

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Veterans during a 6-2 triumph versus their opponents on October 19th (left to right) - one player, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you enhance a outstanding experienced side that have secured back-to-back championships, featuring a double triumph with 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a collection of ex- professionals who have competed at the highest tier of club football and international football as you target further honors.

A Manchester club fields an amateur veterans team with nine former Premier League players in their current lineup.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 International Caps

The team Vets Over-35s are based in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire Vets Division Premier Division.

Their lineup this campaign includes nine former Premier League footballers, with a combined 1,801 top-flight matches.

The star-studded team also contains over 220 Premier League scores and over 320 international appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who netted thirty-seven goals in 117 games for Newcastle United after joining them for £9m from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for the team in their last home-field match against defending champions their rivals and netted all six goals in a six-two win - including a 32-minute opening period hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also features former professionals such as English and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former top-flight players have won 15 major trophies and moved for total transfer fees of about £123m.

Famous Names and Global Players

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

Ireland began playing for the team during pre-season this season through good mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited other former professionals, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side match, to join in.

Ex- Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five top-flight matches for the Toffees and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and use an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"A friend Stephen Ireland told me 'join and have a game, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Everton shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"The people who come and see are happy and to make a moment if they see us competing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us getting somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he made his first game at full-back.

"It's a bit unusual but then, I love running and just go inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

"The movement 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

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a triple in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Tier with three wins from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, faced ex- Latics full-back Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young son who Heskey was.

He has played at 2 World Cups for his country, in addition to featuring in more than 200 top-flight games.

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League stars," said the player.

"I think I was a little starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

"Also Heskey got on and he's has 60-odd English caps.

"Our side competed well for a good twenty minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"Our group really haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mum and brother on the way home.

"They were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a group of regular fellas.

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

'We'll Still Take the Title'

The manager coaches the Collegiate vets side, who secured the Premier Tier championship last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went one-nil ahead and had a

Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor

A technology strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and business transformation across European markets.