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What do you enhance a excellent veteran squad who have won consecutive championships, including a double triumph with thirty wins from thirty-two games?

Recruit a group of former pro players that have played at the highest tier of club football and international soccer as you target more trophies.

One Greater Manchester club fields an non-professional vets team with 9 ex- top-flight players in their active lineup.

222 Top Division Goals, 325 Global Caps

The team Veterans Over-35s are situated in south the city and play in the Cheshire-based Vets Division Top Division.

The roster this campaign includes 9 former top-flight players, with a total over 1,800 elite games.

This star-studded roster also boasts 222 top division scores and 325 international appearances.

They feature one forward, who notched 37 goals in 117 games for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in January 2012.

He had his first appearance for the team in their most recent home game versus defending title holders their rivals and scored all six scores in a six-two win - featuring a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

The squad for this season also features former pros such as England and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League footballers have won fifteen significant honors and moved for combined transfer sums of approximately £123m.

Well-Known Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland began playing for the side in pre-season this summer through good mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to join in.

Ex- Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 goals in 65 top-flight games for Everton and still attends their home games, also made his debut versus the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

"A friend Stephen Ireland said 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," commented the striker.

"After that he informed me we were playing a team from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Blue shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"The people who come and see are pleased and to give someone's moment if they watch us playing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the pleasure of us getting somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

So great is the bench strength at the club, Niasse had his debut at defender.

"That's a bit different but then, I enjoy running and just go forward - I'm not defending 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."

Unreal Scenario

In addition to the forward's six scores on debut, Ireland has netted eight in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

The team are top of the Top Tier with 3 victories from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in more than 200 Premier League games.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had all these ex-Premier League players," remarked the player.

"I felt I was a little starstruck facing him to be honest.

"Also Heskey got on and he's got 60-odd English caps.

"We held our own for a good twenty minutes but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"Our group literally have not ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mum and brother on the journey home.

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

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

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the opposition vets side, who won the Top Division championship the previous campaign, along with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went one-nil ahead and had a