Introduce this Sunday League Squad Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Matches
What do you enhance a outstanding experienced squad who have won back-to-back titles, including a league-cup double with thirty wins from thirty-two matches?
Recruit a group of ex- professionals that have competed at the top level of club and international football as you aim for more silverware.
A Greater Manchester side boasts an amateur vets squad with nine former Premier League players in their current lineup.
Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, 325 International Caps
The team Veterans Over 35s are situated in south the city and play in the Cheshire Veterans Division Premier Division.
Their lineup this campaign boasts nine former top-flight footballers, with a collective 1,801 top-flight games.
The star-studded roster also boasts over 220 Premier League scores and 325 global caps.
They feature Papiss Cisse, who notched 37 goals in 117 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side SC Freiburg in 2012.
He made his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home match versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and scored all six scores in a six-two victory - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.
The squad for this season also includes former professionals such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
Together, the ex- Premier League players have claimed fifteen major honors and transferred for combined transfer fees of around £123 million.
Famous Names and International Stars
Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this season through good mate and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited additional ex-pros, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.
Ex- Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 goals in sixty-five top-flight matches for Everton and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in the city and use an Everton training kit as their strip.
"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," said Niasse.
"After that he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Blue shirts - I say this is wrong for me!
"If you still love the game and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?
"The fans who turn up and see are happy and to give someone's day if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."
Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he made his debut at defender.
"That's a bit different but then, I love sprinting and just move forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.
"I warn my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to continue attacking.
"That running is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."
Unreal Experience
In addition to Cisse's six scores on his first game, Ireland has scored eight in three appearances for the side, while Boyd scored 5 on his debut appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one game as a striker.
The team are top of the Premier Tier with three victories from 3 and a goal difference of +19.
One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Latics full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.
Figueroa has appeared at two global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League games.
"It was going round like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League stars," said Barrow.
"I think I was a little awestruck facing him to be honest.
"Also Heskey came on and he's got over 60 English caps.
"We competed well for a good twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.
"Our group literally haven't stopped talking about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the journey home.
"The opponents were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a group of regular fellas.
"Now we are eager for the second match."
We Will Still Win the Title'
The manager manages the Collegiate veterans side, who won the Premier Division title last season, along with his co-manager.
"We scored one-nil up and had a