Introduce the Weekend League Club With Over 1,800 Top-Flight Games

What can you boost a stellar veteran squad who have won consecutive championships, including a double triumph with 30 victories from 32 games?

Sign a group of ex- professionals that have played at the highest level of club football and international soccer as you target further honors.

A Greater Manchester side fields an non-professional veterans team with 9 ex- Premier League players in their active squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are based in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Premier Tier.

The squad list this campaign features nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a total 1,801 top-flight matches.

The elite team also boasts over 220 top division goals and over 320 international appearances.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who scored 37 goals in over 100 games for his former club after moving to them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their last home-field game against reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six scores in a six-two win - including a half-hour opening period triple.

The squad for this season also includes ex- professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former top-flight footballers have claimed fifteen big trophies and transferred for total transfer sums of around £123m.

Household Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side in preseason this summer through good mate and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side match, to join in.

Ex- Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 goals in sixty-five top-flight matches for the Toffees and still attends their home games, also had his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

"My friend Stephen told me 'join and play, it's a laugh'," said the striker.

"Then he told me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton kits - I thought this is wrong for me!

"If you still love football and you feel you can still play, wherever you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who come and watch are pleased and to give someone's day if they watch us competing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us getting a place we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, Niasse had his debut at full-back.

"That's a little different but then, I love running and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

"The movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

Unreal Experience

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in three appearances for the side, while Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one game up front.

The team are top of the Top Tier with three wins from three and a GD of +19.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to tell his young son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for his country, in addition to featuring in more than 200 top-flight games.

"The news was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight players," said Barrow.

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

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

"We held our own for a good twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"We literally haven't stopped talking about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the journey home.

"They were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a group of normal guys.

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

We Will Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the opposition vets team, who secured the Premier Division title last season, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went 1-0 ahead and had a