Meet the Weekend Division Club With 1,800 English Top Division Games

How can you improve a outstanding experienced squad that have claimed back-to-back titles, featuring a league-cup double boasting 30 wins from thirty-two matches?

Sign a group of former professionals that have performed at the elite tier of club and global soccer as you target further trophies.

One Manchester team has an non-professional veterans team with nine former top-flight footballers in their present roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

The team Veterans Over-35s are located in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Division.

Their roster this campaign includes nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a collective nearly 1,800 top-flight matches.

This elite squad also includes 222 top division goals and 325 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who notched thirty-seven goals in over 100 games for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his debut for the team in their last home match versus defending champions their rivals and scored every one of the six goals in a six-two win - including a 32-minute first-half triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also features ex- professionals such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan 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 big honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Household Names and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side in pre-season this season through good mate and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek small-sided game, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted twelve goals in 65 Premier League matches for Everton and still attends their home games, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their strip.

"My mate Stephen said 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," commented the striker.

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

"When you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still play, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?

"Those spectators who turn up and see are pleased and to make someone's moment if they see us competing there and to pose us questions - it's really about the joy of us getting a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at the club, he had his first game at defender.

"It's a bit different but then, I love sprinting and just go inside - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

"I tell my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.

"The running is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

'Surreal Scenario

Along with the forward's 6 scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in 3 appearances for the side, while George Boyd hit five on his debut match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a triple in one game up front.

The team are leading of the Premier Division with 3 victories from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

He has played at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in more than 200 top-flight matches.

"It was spreading like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League stars," said Barrow.

"I felt I was a little awestruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

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

"We held our own for a solid 20 minutes but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.

"We literally have not ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum and brother on the journey home.

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a bunch of normal guys.

"Now we are eager for the return fixture."

'We'll Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition veterans team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil up and had a