Discover the Weekend Division Squad Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Appearances
How do you improve a outstanding veteran squad that have won back-to-back championships, featuring a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 matches?
Recruit a collection of ex- pro players who have played at the highest tier of club and international soccer as you aim for more honors.
A Greater Manchester side has an amateur veterans team with nine former Premier League footballers in their active lineup.
222 Top Division Scores, 325 Global Caps
The team Veterans Over-35s are located in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire Vets Division Top Tier.
The lineup this campaign features 9 former Premier League players, with a total over 1,800 top-flight games.
The elite squad also includes over 220 Premier League goals and 325 international appearances.
The squad include one forward, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.
He made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home-field match versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a six-two victory - featuring a 32-minute opening period hat-trick.
The team for this season also features ex- professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
In total, the ex- Premier League players have won fifteen significant honors and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123m.
Famous Figures and International Players
Ireland started playing for the side during pre-season this season through close friend and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek small-sided game, to participate.
Former Senegal forward Niasse, who netted 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League games for Everton and still goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.
"My mate Stephen said 'come and play, it's good fun'," said Niasse.
"Then he informed me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I thought this is wrong for me!
"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?
"The fans who turn up and watch are happy and to make someone's day if they watch us competing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."
Such is the bench strength at the club, Niasse had his first game at full-back.
"It's a little different but then, I love running and just move inside - I'm not staying back that much," he said.
"I warn my centre-back 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to continue running.
"That movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."
Dreamlike' Scenario
In addition to the forward's 6 goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three games for the side, while Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, notched a triple in one game up front.
Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Division with 3 victories from 3 and a goal difference of +19.
Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Latics full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Emile Heskey was.
Figueroa has appeared at two global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as playing in more than 200 Premier League matches.
"The news was spreading like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.
"I felt I was a bit awestruck facing him to be honest.
"Even Heskey got on and he's has 60-odd England appearances.
"Our side competed well for a solid 20 minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.
"Our group literally haven't stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the way home.
"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of normal guys.
"Now we can't wait for the second match."
'We'll Still Win the League'
Andy Kirby coaches the Collegiate veterans team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.
"We went 1-0 up and had a