🔗 Share this article

What can you improve a excellent veteran side that have won consecutive titles, featuring a double triumph boasting 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Bring in a collection of ex- professionals that have played at the elite tier of club football and global soccer as you pursue further silverware.

One Manchester team boasts an non-professional vets team with nine former Premier League footballers in their present squad.

222 Premier League Goals, 325 Global Appearances

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

The roster this season includes nine former top-flight footballers, with a collective over 1,800 top-flight appearances.

The elite squad also includes 222 Premier League scores and 325 international caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven goals in over 100 appearances for Newcastle United after signing for them for £9m from German league club Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a six-two victory - featuring a 32-minute first-half triple.

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

In total, the ex- top-flight players have claimed fifteen significant honors and moved for combined transfer sums of approximately £123m.

Famous Figures and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side in pre-season this season through close friend and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side game, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and still attends their home games, also made his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

"My friend Stephen told me 'come and play, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

"Then he told me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Everton kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"If you still love football and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?

"The people who come and watch are happy and to give a day if they see us competing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, he made his first game at defender.

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

"The movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on debut, Ireland has scored eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored five on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one match up front.

The team are top of the Premier Tier with three victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.

He has appeared at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in more than 200 Premier League games.

"It was spreading like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League players," remarked Barrow.

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

"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's got 60-odd English caps.

"We held our own for a good twenty mins but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"We literally have not stopped chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

We Will Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Premier Division title last season, along with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil ahead and had a