Meet the Weekend Division Club Boasting Over 1,800 Premier League Matches

What can you improve a excellent veteran squad who have won back-to-back championships, including a league-cup double with thirty wins from 32 games?

Sign a raft of ex- professionals that have competed at the elite tier of club and international football as you aim for more honors.

One Manchester club has an non-professional vets team with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their active squad.

222 Top Division Goals, 325 International Caps

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

Their lineup this season includes 9 ex- top-flight footballers, with a combined nearly 1,800 elite appearances.

The elite roster also boasts 222 Premier League goals and over 320 global caps.

They feature one forward, who scored thirty-seven scores in 117 games for Newcastle United after signing for them for nine million pounds from German league side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home game versus reigning champions their rivals and scored every one of the six goals in a 6-2 win - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.

The team for this season also features former pros such as England and Anfield 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 Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the former Premier League players have won 15 big trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of approximately £123 million.

Famous Figures and International Players

Ireland started turning out for the team during preseason this summer through close mate and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side match, to participate.

Ex- Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve goals in 65 Premier League games for Everton and even now attends their home games, also made his first appearance versus the opposition - who are located in the city and use an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

"My friend Stephen Ireland said 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," commented the striker.

"Then he told me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Everton shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still do it, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?

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

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he had his first game at full-back.

"It's a bit unusual but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

"The running is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

'Surreal Scenario

In addition to the forward's 6 goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored eight in three games for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his debut match and Lescott, a defender by position, scored a hat-trick in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Tier with three wins from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

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

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over 200 Premier League matches.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had these ex-Premier League players," said Barrow.

"I think I was a bit awestruck playing against him to be honest.

"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's got 60-odd English caps.

"We held our own for a good twenty mins but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group literally haven't stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the journey home.

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a group of regular fellas.

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition veterans side, who won the Top Tier title last season, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil up and had a