🔗 Share this article

What can you boost a outstanding experienced side who have won consecutive titles, including a double triumph boasting 30 victories from 32 games?

Recruit a group of ex- pro players who have played at the elite tier of club football and global soccer as you pursue further trophies.

One Manchester side has an non-professional veterans squad with 9 ex- Premier League players in their active squad.

222 Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Caps

The team Vets Over 35s are based in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans Division Top Tier.

Their roster this campaign includes 9 former Premier League players, with a combined nearly 1,800 elite matches.

This high-profile team also contains 222 top division scores and over 320 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who scored 37 scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side Freiburg in 2012.

He had his first appearance for the team in their last home-field game versus reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a six-two win - including a 32-minute opening period hat-trick.

The squad for this campaign also includes former professionals such as England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former Premier League players have claimed fifteen major trophies and transferred for total transfer fees of about £123m.

Well-Known Figures and Global Stars

Ireland began playing for the team during preseason this summer through good mate and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland midfielder then invited additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided match, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five top-flight matches for the Toffees and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against the opposition - who are located in Liverpool and use an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

"A friend Stephen said 'join and have a game, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

"After that he told me we were playing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Blue shirts - I say this is strange for me!

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

"Those people who turn up and watch are pleased and to give a day if they watch us competing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at the club, he made his debut at defender.

"It's a bit different but then, I love running and just move forward - 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 enjoyable."

'Surreal Experience

Along with the forward's six goals on his first game, Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a hat-trick in one match up front.

The team are leading of the Top Division with three wins from 3 and a GD of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Wigan defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young son who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to featuring in over two hundred top-flight games.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had all these former top-flight stars," said the player.

"I think I was a bit starstruck facing him to be honest.

"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's got over 60 England appearances.

"Our side competed well for a solid twenty mins but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.

"Our group literally haven't ceased chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the journey home.

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of regular guys.

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

The manager manages the opposition vets side, who won the Top Division championship last season, along with his co-manager.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a