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How do you improve a excellent experienced side that have claimed consecutive championships, including a league-cup double with 30 wins from thirty-two games?

Recruit a raft of ex- professionals who have competed at the top level of club football and global football as you pursue more trophies.

One Greater Manchester side boasts an amateur veterans team with 9 ex- top-flight footballers in their present lineup.

222 Top Division Scores, 325 Global Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are located in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Division.

Their squad list this campaign features 9 former top-flight players, with a combined over 1,800 elite games.

This high-profile roster also contains 222 Premier League goals and over 320 international appearances.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven goals in 117 appearances for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home game against reigning champions their rivals and scored every one of the six scores in a 6-2 win - including a half-hour opening period triple.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also includes former pros such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC winger George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- Premier League players have won fifteen big honors and transferred for total transfer fees of approximately £123 million.

Household Figures and International Players

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the team during preseason this season through close mate and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then invited other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Ex- Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve scores in sixty-five top-flight matches for Everton and even now goes to their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance against the opposition - who are located in the city and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

"My mate Stephen Ireland said 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," said the striker.

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

"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"Those spectators who turn up and watch are pleased and to give a day if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's more like the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with organisation of course."

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

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy running and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"I tell my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to continue attacking.

"That running is what I'm looking for. It's enjoyable."

'Surreal Feeling

Along with Cisse's 6 scores on his first game, Ireland has scored 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored five on his first appearance and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, notched a triple in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Top Tier with three wins from three and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced former Latics full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

He has appeared at two global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to featuring in more than 200 Premier League games.

"It was going round like a rumor they had all these former top-flight stars," said the player.

"I think I was a little awestruck playing against him to be honest.

"Also Heskey came on and he's has over 60 England appearances.

"Our side held our own for a solid 20 mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"Our group really have not stopped talking about it - I was calling my mother and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the return match."

'We'll Still Take the League'

The manager coaches the opposition vets team, who secured the Premier Tier championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"Our team scored one-nil ahead and had a