Introduce the Sunday League Squad Featuring Over 1,800 Top-Flight Games
What do you enhance a outstanding veteran team who have secured consecutive titles, including a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from thirty-two games?
Recruit a raft of former pro players that have competed at the top tier of club and international football as you pursue further silverware.
One Greater Manchester club boasts an non-professional vets squad with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their active squad.
Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances
Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are located in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Veterans League Top Tier.
The roster this season features nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a total over 1,800 top-flight games.
This star-studded squad also contains 222 Premier League scores and 325 international appearances.
They feature Papiss Cisse, who netted thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in January 2012.
He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home match against reigning champions their rivals and netted every one of the six goals in a 6-2 victory - including a half-hour opening period hat-trick.
The roster for this campaign also includes former professionals such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
Together, the former top-flight players have claimed fifteen big trophies and moved for total transfer fees of approximately £123 million.
Famous Names and International Players
Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this season through close friend and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then asked additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side match, to join in.
Former Senegal forward Oumar Niasse, who netted 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and even now attends their home games, also made his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.
"A mate Stephen said 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," commented Niasse.
"After that he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Everton shirts - I say this is strange for me!
"When you still enjoy football and you feel you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?
"The fans who turn up and watch are pleased and to make a day if they watch us competing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with organisation of course."
Such is the squad depth at the club, he had his debut at full-back.
"It's a bit different but then, I enjoy running and just move inside - I'm not staying back that much," he added.
"I tell my defender 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to continue attacking.
"That running is what I'm seeking. It's good fun."
Unreal Experience
In addition to the forward's six scores on debut, Ireland has netted 8 in 3 games for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a hat-trick in one match as a striker.
Wythenshawe are top of the Top Division with 3 wins from 3 and a goal difference of +19.
One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.
Figueroa has appeared at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over 200 Premier League matches.
"The news was spreading like a rumor they had all these former top-flight players," remarked the player.
"I felt I was a bit starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.
"Also Emile [Heskey] got on and he's has over 60 England caps.
"We held our own for a solid twenty mins but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.
"We literally haven't stopped chatting about it - I was calling my mother and brother on the way home.
"The opponents were all friendly, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a bunch of regular guys.
"Now we can't wait for the return fixture."
'We'll Still Win the Title'
Andy Kirby coaches the opposition veterans side, who won the Top Division championship the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.
"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a