🔗 Share this article

How can you boost a stellar veteran squad that have claimed consecutive titles, including a double triumph boasting 30 wins from 32 matches?

Bring in a collection of former pro players that have played at the top tier of club football and international soccer as you aim for more silverware.

A Manchester club has an non-professional vets squad with 9 former top-flight players in their active squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Appearances

The team Vets Over-35s are based in south Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Premier Division.

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

This high-profile squad also boasts 222 top division goals and over 320 global appearances.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who notched thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after signing for them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his debut for the team in their last home-field game against reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six goals in a six-two victory - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.

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

Together, the former top-flight players have claimed 15 significant trophies and transferred for total transfer fees of about £123m.

Famous Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the side in pre-season this summer through close mate and present team player Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then asked additional ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.

Former Senegalese forward Niasse, who netted twelve goals in sixty-five Premier League games for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton training kit as their strip.

"My friend Stephen said 'join and play, it's good fun'," said Niasse.

"Then 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 feel you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who turn up and watch are happy and to make someone's moment if they see us playing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he made his debut at defender.

"That's a little unusual but then, I love sprinting and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

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

Dreamlike' Experience

In addition to Cisse's six scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three games for the side, while Boyd scored 5 on his debut appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Division with three wins from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League games.

"It was going round like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.

"I felt I was a bit starstruck facing Figueroa to be honest.

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

"Our side competed well for a good 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"We literally haven't ceased chatting about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the way home.

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a group of normal guys.

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

'We'll Still Take the League'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate vets team, who secured the Top Tier championship last season, together with his co-manager.

"Our team scored 1-0 up and had a