Discover the Sunday Division Team Boasting Over 1,800 English Top Division Appearances
What do you enhance a outstanding experienced squad that have secured back-to-back titles, featuring a double triumph boasting thirty victories from 32 matches?
Sign a group of ex- professionals who have competed at the highest tier of club and international soccer as you pursue further honors.
One Manchester club has an amateur veterans squad with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their active roster.
222 Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Caps
Wythenshawe Veterans Over-35s are based in south Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets Division Top Tier.
Their squad list this season features 9 ex- Premier League footballers, with a collective over 1,800 elite matches.
The high-profile roster also boasts 222 Premier League scores and 325 global appearances.
The squad include one forward, who notched 37 goals in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.
He had his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their most recent home-field match against defending title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six scores in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour opening period hat-trick.
The squad for this campaign also features ex- pros such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
Collectively, the former top-flight players have claimed 15 significant trophies and transferred for combined transfer fees of approximately £123m.
Famous Names and International Players
Stephen Ireland started playing for the team during pre-season this summer through good friend and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked additional ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.
Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 top-flight games for Everton and even now attends their home games, also made his debut versus the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.
"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and have a game, it's a laugh'," commented Niasse.
"After that he told me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Everton shirts - I say this is wrong for me!
"When you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?
"The people who come and watch are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us playing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us getting somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."
Such is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he had his debut at defender.
"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy running and just go inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.
"I tell my defender 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.
"That movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."
Unreal Experience
In addition to Cisse's 6 goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd hit 5 on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a triple in one game as a striker.
Wythenshawe are top of the Premier Tier with three victories from 3 and a goal difference of plus nineteen.
One opponent, 38, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.
He has played at 2 global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in over 200 Premier League matches.
"It was spreading like a rumor they had all these ex-Premier League stars," said Barrow.
"I think I was a bit starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.
"Also Heskey came on and he's has 60-odd English appearances.
"Our side held our own for a good twenty minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.
"Our group literally have not stopped talking about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the journey home.
"They were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of regular fellas.
"Now we are eager for the return match."
We Will Still Take the Title'
The manager manages the opposition vets side, who secured the Top Tier championship last season, along with his co-manager.
"Our team scored 1-0 up and had a