🔗 Share this article

How do you improve a outstanding veteran squad that have secured back-to-back titles, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from 32 games?

Recruit a raft of former professionals who have performed at the top tier of club and international football as you target further silverware.

One Manchester club boasts an amateur veterans squad with 9 ex- top-flight players in their current squad.

222 Top Division Scores, 325 International Caps

Wythenshawe Veterans Over-35s are situated in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Tier.

Their roster this campaign features 9 ex- Premier League players, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League games.

The star-studded roster also includes over 220 Premier League goals and 325 global appearances.

They feature one forward, who notched thirty-seven scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after signing for them for £9m from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home-field match versus defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six goals in a six-two win - including a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

The roster for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have claimed fifteen major honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Famous Figures and Global Stars

Ireland started playing for the team during preseason this season through close friend and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited other former professionals, who all play in a midweek small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegal striker Niasse, who netted 12 scores in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also had his debut versus the opposition - who are based in the city and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"After that he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I saw them wearing Everton kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"When you still love football and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who come and watch are happy and to make a day if they see us competing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse had his first game at full-back.

"That's a bit unusual but then, I enjoy running and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"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 enjoyable."

'Surreal Feeling

Along with the forward's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in 3 appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit 5 on his first appearance and Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a hat-trick in one match as a striker.

The team are leading of the Top Tier with 3 victories from three and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, 38, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

He has appeared at two World Cups for his country, in addition to playing in more than 200 Premier League matches.

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League stars," remarked the player.

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

"Also Heskey got on and he's has 60-odd English appearances.

"We competed well for a solid 20 mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"We really have not ceased chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and sibling on the journey home.

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

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager manages the Collegiate veterans team, who secured the Top Division title the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"We went one-nil up and had a