Discover the Sunday League Team With Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Vets during a six-two triumph versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (left to right) - one player, another, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you enhance a stellar experienced team that have claimed back-to-back championships, including a double triumph boasting 30 victories from thirty-two matches?

Sign a group of former pro players that have competed at the highest level of club and international football as you aim for additional trophies.

One Manchester side fields an non-professional vets squad with 9 ex- top-flight players in their current lineup.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, 325 Global Appearances

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

The lineup this campaign includes nine ex- Premier League players, with a total over 1,800 Premier League games.

This star-studded team also boasts 222 top division scores and over 320 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who netted 37 goals in over 100 games for his former club after signing for them for £9m from German league side SC Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home game versus defending champions their rivals and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two victory - including a 32-minute opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also includes former pros such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former Premier League players have secured fifteen major trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of approximately £123m.

Household Figures and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won 6 Republic of Ireland appearances, scoring four goals

Ireland started turning out for the team in pre-season this season through good friend and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked additional ex-pros, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five Premier League games for the Toffees and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

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

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

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

"If you still love football and you know you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

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

So great is the squad depth at the club, he made his debut at defender.

"It's a bit unusual but then, I love running and just go inside - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Dreamlike' Feeling

Along with Cisse's 6 goals on debut, Ireland has netted 8 in three games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored 5 on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a hat-trick in one match up front.

Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Tier with three victories from 3 and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

He has played at two global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as playing in over 200 Premier League games.

"The news was spreading like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League stars," remarked the player.

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

"Even Emile [Heskey] came on and he's has 60-odd England appearances.

"We held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

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

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

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

We Will Still Win the League'

The manager manages the opposition vets team, who secured the Premier Tier title the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a

Natasha Richards
Natasha Richards

A seasoned gambling analyst with 10 years of experience in casino strategy and sports betting. Known for data-driven insights.