Discover this Sunday League Club Featuring Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Vets in a six-two win against their opponents on October 19th (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you boost a excellent experienced team that have secured back-to-back championships, including a league-cup double with 30 victories from thirty-two games?

Recruit a collection of former professionals that have competed at the top tier of club and international soccer as you pursue more silverware.

One Manchester team fields an amateur vets squad with nine former top-flight players in their active lineup.

222 Premier League Scores, 325 Global Appearances

The team Vets Over-35s are located in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets Division Top Tier.

The squad list this campaign boasts 9 ex- Premier League footballers, with a collective over 1,800 elite appearances.

This elite team also boasts over 220 top division scores and over 320 international appearances.

The squad feature one forward, who notched thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home match versus defending champions their rivals and netted all six goals in a six-two win - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

The squad for this campaign also includes ex- professionals such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former Premier League players have secured fifteen big honors and transferred for total transfer fees of approximately ÂŁ123 million.

Famous Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He earned 6 Irish caps, netting four scores

Ireland began turning out for the team during pre-season this summer through close friend and present team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then asked other ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.

Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League games for Everton and still goes to their home games, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are located in the city and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse featured for the club between 2016 and 2020

"My friend Stephen said 'join and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I say this is wrong for me!

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

"The people who turn up and watch are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

So great is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, Niasse had his debut at full-back.

"It's a bit unusual but then, I love sprinting and just go 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.

"That running is what I'm after. It's good fun."

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

Unreal Feeling

Along with the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted eight in three appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit 5 on his debut appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

The team are leading of the Premier Division with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League matches.

"The news was spreading like wildfire they had all these former top-flight stars," said the player.

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

"Even Heskey came on and he's got over 60 England caps.

"Our side competed well for a good twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"We really have not stopped talking about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the journey home.

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a bunch of regular guys.

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

We Will Still Take the League'

The manager coaches the opposition vets side, who won the Top Division championship last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went one-nil up and had a

Janet Jones
Janet Jones

Lena Àr en erfaren livsstilsbloggare med passion för heminredning och hÄllbarhet. Hon delar praktiska rÄd och kreativa idéer.