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How do you improve a stellar veteran side who have won back-to-back titles, including a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 games?

Recruit a raft of former professionals who have competed at the elite tier of club football and international soccer as you target additional honors.

A Greater Manchester side fields an amateur veterans squad with 9 ex- top-flight players in their current roster.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Top Division Scores, 325 International Caps

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are based in southern Manchester and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Tier.

The lineup this season boasts 9 former Premier League footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 top-flight games.

The star-studded roster also boasts 222 top division goals and over 320 international appearances.

The squad include one forward, who notched 37 scores in over 100 games for Newcastle United after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league club SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse made his first appearance for Wythenshawe in their last home-field match against reigning title holders their rivals and netted all six goals in a six-two victory - including a half-hour opening period hat-trick.

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

Collectively, the former Premier League players have won 15 significant honors and transferred for combined transfer sums of about £123 million.

Famous Figures and Global Stars

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this summer through close mate and current team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland midfielder then asked other ex-pros, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side game, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve scores in 65 top-flight matches for the Toffees and still attends their home games, also had his first appearance against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their strip.

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

"Then he told me we were playing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I noticed them sporting Everton kits - I thought this is strange for me!

"When you still love football and you feel you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to do?

"The spectators who turn up and watch are happy and to make a moment if they see us competing there and to ask us queries - it's more like the pleasure of us having a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the bench strength at Wythenshawe, he had his first game at full-back.

"That's a bit different but then, I enjoy running and just go inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

"The movement is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

Dreamlike' Feeling

In addition to the forward's six scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored 5 on his first match and Lescott, a defender by position, notched a triple in one game as a striker.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Division with 3 wins from 3 and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, faced ex- Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at 2 World Cups for his country, in as well as featuring in over 200 top-flight games.

"It was going round like wildfire they had all these former top-flight stars," remarked the player.

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

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

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

"We really have not ceased chatting about it - I was phoning my mother and brother on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the return match."

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager manages the opposition vets team, who won the Premier Division championship the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went one-nil ahead and had a