🔗 Share this article

What can you improve a stellar experienced team that have won consecutive titles, including a double triumph with 30 victories from 32 games?

Recruit a group of ex- professionals who have played at the top tier of club and international soccer as you pursue more trophies.

A Manchester club boasts an non-professional vets squad with 9 ex- top-flight players in their current lineup.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 Global Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are based in south the city and compete in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Division.

Their lineup this season boasts nine former top-flight players, with a collective nearly 1,800 Premier League matches.

This star-studded squad also contains 222 Premier League scores and 325 international appearances.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 games for his former club after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga club Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse made his debut for the team in their most recent home-field match against reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six goals in a 6-2 victory - including a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

The team for this campaign also includes former professionals such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former top-flight players have claimed fifteen major honors and moved for total transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Well-Known Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland started playing for the team in pre-season this season through good friend and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Ex- Senegalese forward Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

"A mate Stephen told me 'join and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said the striker.

"After that he informed me we were playing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Everton kits - I say this is strange for me!

"When you still love the game and you feel you can still play, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?

"Those spectators who come and see are happy and to give someone's moment if they see us competing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."

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

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy running and just move inside - I'm not staying back that much," he added.

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

"That movement is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a hat-trick in one game as a striker.

The team are leading of the Top Division with 3 wins from three and a GD of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced former Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two World Cups for his country, in as well as featuring in over 200 top-flight games.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League stars," remarked Barrow.

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

"Even Heskey came on and he's has over 60 English caps.

"We competed well for a solid twenty mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

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

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a group of regular fellas.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager coaches the opposition vets team, who secured the Top Tier championship last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored 1-0 ahead and had a