Sunday league team with over 1,800 top-flight appearances has contributed to feelgood factor in community
I
t all started with a picture and caption on social media: “If Carlsberg did benches.” Then came a tweet, naming nine former Premier League players on the books of Wythenshawe FC’s over-35s side: Stephen Ireland, Emile Heskey, Maynor Figueroa, Joleon Lescott, Papiss Cissé, Oumar Niasse, Nedum Onuoha, George Boyd and Danny Drinkwater.
Adding new recruit Jefferson Montero to the list means Wythenshawe’s veterans squad includes 1,867 Premier League appearances, plus 389 international caps and 15 major honours.
It is almost surreal to see six of the group – Ireland, Figueroa, Cissé, Boyd, Drinkwater and Montero – line up at Hollyhedge Park for a Sunday League veterans’ match against South Liverpool, with Drinkwater and Montero making their debuts. This is muck‑and-nettles stuff, yet the sticky November turf is being graced by players who have tasted the very top.
