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How can you enhance a stellar veteran side that have secured back-to-back titles, including a double triumph boasting thirty victories from thirty-two matches?

Recruit a collection of ex- pro players that have performed at the highest tier of club and global football as you target additional silverware.

One Greater Manchester club fields an non-professional veterans squad with nine former top-flight footballers in their current squad.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five International Appearances

Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are situated in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Veterans Division Premier Tier.

Their roster this campaign features 9 ex- Premier League players, with a collective 1,801 top-flight games.

The high-profile team also contains over 220 Premier League scores and over 320 international caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who notched thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from Bundesliga side Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his debut for the team in their most recent home match versus reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - including a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's roster for this campaign also features ex- professionals such as England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Everton striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former top-flight players have secured 15 big trophies and moved for combined transfer sums of around £123 million.

Well-Known Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland began playing for the team in pre-season this summer through close friend and present Wythenshawe teammate Blake Norton, and the former Irish midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided match, to join in.

Ex- Senegal striker Niasse, who netted twelve scores in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and still attends their home games, also had his first appearance against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and use an Blue training kit as their strip.

"My mate Stephen told me 'join and play, it's good fun'," said the striker.

"After that he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Blue kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"When you still enjoy football and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"The people who come and see are happy and to give a moment if they watch us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the pleasure of us having a place we can play, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at the club, he made his first game at full-back.

"That's a little unusual but then, I love running and just move inside - I'm not staying back that much," he added.

"I warn my centre-back 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to continue running.

"The movement is what I'm seeking. It's good fun."

'Surreal Scenario

Along with the forward's six goals on debut, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored five on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by trade, scored a triple in one match up front.

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

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the wing for the opposition, came up against former Latics full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

He has played at 2 global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in more than 200 Premier League games.

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

"I think I was a bit awestruck facing Figueroa to be honest.

"Also Heskey came on and he's got over 60 English caps.

"Our side competed well for a solid twenty minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"Our group really have not ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mother and sibling on the journey home.

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a bunch of regular guys.

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

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the opposition veterans team, who secured the Premier Division title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went one-nil ahead and had a