Meet the Sunday League Club Boasting 1,800 English Top Division Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This bench for Wythenshawe Veterans in a 6-2 win versus their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you boost a stellar veteran squad who have won back-to-back championships, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 victories from 32 games?

Recruit a group of former pro players who have competed at the top level of club and global football as you aim for further silverware.

A Greater Manchester side has an non-professional veterans squad with nine ex- Premier League footballers in their current lineup.

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 Veterans League Premier Tier.

Their lineup this campaign boasts nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a collective over 1,800 Premier League games.

The star-studded squad also boasts 222 Premier League goals and over 320 global caps.

They include Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 scores in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his debut for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field game versus defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also features ex- pros such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

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

Household Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned 6 Irish appearances, netting four goals

Stephen Ireland began playing for the side in pre-season this season through good mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then asked other ex-pros, who all play in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegal striker 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 first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said the striker.

"Then he informed me we were playing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue kits - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still love the game and you know you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"Those fans who come and watch are happy and to give someone's moment if they see us playing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, he made his debut at defender.

"That's a bit unusual but then, I love 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 looking for. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Dreamlike' Scenario

In addition to Cisse's six goals on debut, Ireland has netted 8 in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one game up front.

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

One opponent, 38, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

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

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these former top-flight players," said Barrow.

"I felt I was a bit awestruck facing him to be honest.

"Also Heskey got on and he's got over 60 English caps.

"We held our own for a good 20 mins but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.

"Our group literally haven't stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mum and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the return match."

We Will Still Take the Title'

The manager coaches the opposition vets team, who won the Top Tier title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went one-nil up and had a

Tracy Curtis
Tracy Curtis

A gaming industry analyst with over a decade of experience covering esports, hardware innovations, and market trends across multiple platforms.