Discover the Weekend League Squad Featuring Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Matches
How do you improve a excellent experienced squad who have won consecutive titles, featuring a league-cup double with thirty victories from thirty-two games?
Sign a group of ex- professionals who have performed at the elite level of club and international soccer as you target further trophies.
A Greater Manchester team has an non-professional veterans squad with nine ex- Premier League footballers in their current roster.
222 Top Division Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps
The team Veterans Over-35s are located in south the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Premier Division.
Their lineup this season boasts 9 former top-flight players, with a total over 1,800 Premier League games.
The star-studded squad also contains 222 Premier League scores and over 320 international appearances.
They feature one forward, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after joining them for £9m from German league side SC Freiburg in January 2012.
He had his debut for the team in their most recent home match versus reigning champions their rivals and netted all six goals in a 6-2 victory - featuring a 32-minute opening period triple.
The squad for this season also includes former pros such as England and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
In total, the ex- top-flight players have secured fifteen major honors and moved for total transfer sums of about £123m.
Famous Figures and Global Players
Ireland started turning out for the side in pre-season this summer through close mate and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited other ex-pros, who all play in a weekly nine-a-side game, to join in.
Former Senegal forward Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 Premier League games for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus the opposition - who are based in the city and wear an Blue training kit as their strip.
"My friend Stephen Ireland told me 'join and play, it's a laugh'," said the striker.
"After that he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton kits - I thought this is strange for me!
"When you still love the game and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?
"The fans who turn up and watch are pleased and to make someone's day if they see us playing there and to pose us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."
Such is the bench strength at the club, Niasse made his debut at full-back.
"It's a bit different but then, I love sprinting 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.
"The running is what I'm looking for. It's enjoyable."
Dreamlike' Scenario
In addition to the forward's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a triple in one game up front.
The team are leading of the Top Tier with three victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.
One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for the opposition, faced ex- Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.
He has played at 2 World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over 200 top-flight matches.
"The news was going round like a rumor they had all these former top-flight stars," remarked Barrow.
"I think I was a little awestruck playing against him to be honest.
"Also Heskey got on and he's has over 60 English appearances.
"We held our own for a good 20 minutes but then we had a man dismissed and it was tough.
"We really haven't ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mother and sibling on the way home.
"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a group of regular fellas.
"Now we are eager for the return fixture."
'We'll Still Win the Title'
Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate veterans team, who won the Top Division championship the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.
"Our team scored 1-0 up and had a