Introduce this Weekend League Squad Featuring Over 1,800 English Top Division Appearances
What can you improve a outstanding experienced team that have secured back-to-back championships, including a league-cup double boasting thirty victories from thirty-two matches?
Recruit a group of former professionals who have competed at the highest tier of club and international soccer as you pursue further silverware.
One Greater Manchester team boasts an non-professional vets team with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their active lineup.
222 Top Division Scores, 325 International Appearances
The team Veterans Over-35s are based in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire Veterans League Premier Tier.
Their lineup this campaign includes 9 former Premier League players, with a combined 1,801 elite appearances.
This star-studded squad also includes over 220 Premier League goals and 325 global caps.
The squad feature one forward, who scored 37 goals in 117 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in January 2012.
Cisse had his first appearance for the team in their last home game versus defending champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted all six scores in a 6-2 win - including a 32-minute first-half triple.
Wythenshawe's squad for this season also includes former professionals such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
Collectively, the former top-flight footballers have won 15 significant trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of approximately £123 million.
Household Names and International Players
Stephen Ireland began turning out for the side during pre-season this summer through good friend and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Irish midfielder then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side game, to join in.
Ex- Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who netted twelve scores in sixty-five Premier League games for Everton and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also had his debut against Collegiate OB - who are based in the city and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.
"A mate Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's a laugh'," commented the striker.
"Then he informed me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them wearing Blue kits - I thought this is wrong for me!
"If you still love the game and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?
"Those spectators who turn up and see are happy and to make a moment if they see us playing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."
So great is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he had his first game at full-back.
"It's a bit different but then, I love running and just move forward - 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 attacking.
"The movement is what I'm seeking. It's enjoyable."
Unreal Scenario
In addition to the forward's six scores on his first game, Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd scored five on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a triple in one game as a striker.
The team are top of the Premier Tier with three victories from 3 and a GD of +19.
One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, faced former Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young son who Heskey was.
He has played at two World Cups for Honduras, in as well as playing in more than 200 Premier League matches.
"The news was spreading like wildfire they had all these former top-flight players," said Barrow.
"I felt I was a little starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.
"Also Heskey got on and he's got over 60 English appearances.
"Our side competed well for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was hard.
"Our group really haven't ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum 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 fellas.
"Now we can't wait for the second fixture."
We Will Still Take the League'
Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets team, who secured the Top Division title last season, along with his co-manager.
"Our team went 1-0 up and had a