Introduce this Weekend League Club Featuring 1,800 English Top Division Games
How can you improve a stellar experienced squad that have claimed consecutive championships, including a league-cup double boasting thirty victories from thirty-two matches?
Sign a group of ex- professionals that have competed at the highest level of club and global soccer as you aim for further silverware.
One Manchester team has an amateur veterans squad with 9 former Premier League players in their active squad.
222 Premier League Scores, 325 International Appearances
Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are located in south the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Vets League Top Tier.
Their lineup this campaign features 9 ex- top-flight players, with a collective nearly 1,800 Premier League appearances.
The elite roster also includes 222 top division goals and 325 global caps.
They include one forward, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.
He made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field game versus reigning champions Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour opening period triple.
The roster for this season also features ex- pros such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.
Together, the former top-flight footballers have claimed fifteen significant honors and transferred for total transfer sums of about £123 million.
Famous Names and Global Players
Ireland started playing for the team in preseason this summer through close mate and current Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side game, to join in.
Ex- Senegal forward Niasse, who scored 12 scores in sixty-five top-flight 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 use an Everton training kit as their uniform.
"A mate Stephen told me 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," commented the striker.
"Then he informed me we were facing a team 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, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?
"Those people who turn up and watch are pleased and to make someone's moment if they see us competing there and to ask us questions - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."
Such is the squad depth at the club, he made his first game at defender.
"That's a bit different but then, I enjoy running and just go inside - 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 keep running.
"The running is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."
Dreamlike' Experience
Along with Cisse's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored 5 on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, notched a hat-trick in one match up front.
The team are leading of the Premier Division with 3 wins from three and a goal difference of plus nineteen.
One opponent, thirty-eight, who plays on the flank for the opposition, faced former Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.
Figueroa has played at two World Cups for his country, in addition to playing in more than 200 top-flight matches.
"It was going round like wildfire they had these former top-flight players," remarked Barrow.
"I felt I was a little starstruck playing against him to be honest.
"Also Heskey came on and he's got over 60 England caps.
"Our side held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.
"Our group really haven't ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mother and brother on the journey home.
"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like facing a group of normal fellas.
"Now we can't wait for the return match."
We Will Still Win the Title'
The manager manages the opposition vets side, who secured the Top Division championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.
"We scored 1-0 up and had a