DURING his peak, striker Emile Heskey had strode out to crowds of nearly 90,000 at Wembley when playing for England.
But last weekend the 47-year-old former Liverpool hero came on as a sub in front of 170 fans at a tiny ground without any stands in Manchester.
In normal circumstances, supporters of Wythenshawe FC’s veterans team would be surprised to see the £11million footballer gracing the turf on the Hollyhedge Park pitch.
This season, though, the tiny club has been able to field an incredible array of former Premier League stars.
On Sunday ex-Newcastle United forward and Senegal captain Papiss Cisse, 40, scored all six goals in the opening game of the season, 26-cap England defender Joleon Lescott, 43, bagged a hat-trick and Stephen Ireland, 39, of Manchester City fame netted eight times in two matches.
Other top names making appearances for The Ammies include Everton’s former £13.5million man Oumar Niasse, 35, Scotland international George Boyd, 40, ex-Man City defender Nedum Onuoha, 38, and Maynor Figueroa, 42, who played for Wigan Athletic when they were in the top tier.
FAST FORWARD
Haaland spotted in yet another flash car days after adding £250k Lambo
BRIGHT MOVE
Major change to Old Trafford with six thousand fans affected for Brighton game
Premier league winner Danny Drinkwater, 35, has also been listed as a player but is yet to get on the pitch.
Once used to five-figure-a-week wages, none of them are being paid by Wythenshawe FC.
In fact the chairman’s wife accidentally asked them to pay £15 a month to play.
‘We have a few more wanting to play for us’
Club chairman Carl Barratt tells The Sun: “My wife asked them to pay £15 subs, because she didn’t know who they were. She sent the normal letters to them.
And we are not paying them. They do get food at the end of the match and we have a bar with Sky Sports.”
Club chairman Carl Barratt
“But no, we are not asking Stephen Ireland and the others to pay to play for us.
“And we are not paying them. They do get food at the end of the match and we have a bar with Sky Sports.”
Wythenshawe FC’s semi-professional first team has never paid a transfer fee for a player and are in the eighth tier of England’s football league.
They are in the relegation zone of the Northern Premier League West Division — but the seniors are doing a lot better, thanks to the likes of Cisse and Ireland.
They are currently top of the Cheshire Veterans Football League in the north west of England.
The key requirement all these footballers have for joining Wythenshawe FC’s veterans team is that they are aged 35 or over.
Prior to former pros gracing its pitch, the club’s most famous association was probably with Noel Gallagher, who played a 2023 gig with his band High Flying Birds in nearby Wythenshawe Park, which is a stone’s throw from his childhood home.
The sudden influx of “ringers” is down to Ireland.
Carl, who has been chairman for seven years, explains: “One of our players is best mates with Stephen and he mentioned to him that we want to try to win one of the country cups this year.
“So Stephen and Nedum Onuoha came down to play first and then other players they knew joined in.
“We have a few more wanting to play for us but I can’t say who they are at the moment.”
Many of the former Premier League footballers already enjoy a kickabout with their mates but think it is better to be in an organised 11-a-side league again.
I just enjoy being able to run around. When you still love football and you know you can still do it anywhere you can play football, what are you going to do?
Oumar Niasse, 35, Ex-Everton
They are also getting to play with a renewed freedom.
Lescott, who cost Man City £22million when he signed from Everton in 2009, was glad to play up front rather than in defence.
He recently scored a hat-trick for the team and told a podcast: “For the level, I can press quite intensely.
“I just enjoy being able to run around.”
Niasse, who played nine times for Senegal, echoes that feeling.
He said: “When you still love football and you know you can still do it anywhere you can play football, what are you going to do?
“The people who come and watch are happy, and to make someone’s day if they see us playing there and to ask us questions — it’s more like the joy of us having somewhere we can play with organisation, of course.”
The club makes sure that their regular veterans also get out on the pitch. It is not an all-star 11.
Carl says: “We had a very successful team last year.
“We won 30 out of 32 games.
“Those players are still in the squad.
“We are only fielding five or six ex-professionals max in each match.”
It is certainly a challenge for the amateur over-35s who find themselves up against ex-internationals on a Sunday morning — but they are thrilled to be taking them on.
Paul Barrow, 38, was on the wing for Collegiate Old Boys (Liverpool) on Sunday when his side lost 6-2 to Wythenshawe.
‘We expect more than 170 for the next home match’
He said: “I think I was a bit starstruck facing Figueroa, to be honest.
“Even Emile got on and he’s got 60-odd England caps.
“We literally haven’t stopped talking about it.
“I was phoning my mum and brother on the way home.
“We can’t wait for the return fixture.”
The star-studded Wythenshawe veterans have won all three of their league games this season.
They thrashed Radcliffe Old Boys 10-1 and AFC Monton 7-1.
Any of their rivals hoping that the likes of Ireland or Cisse might take it easy on them will be disappointed.
Carl comments: “They are ex- professional footballers and they still have a competitive edge.”
Judging by some of the crunching tackles they put in against Collegiate Old Boys, that is true.
There was even a bit of argy-bargy between the two teams on the edge of the box.
In two weeks’ time they take on Widnes side Parklands, but the big match is November 9 when Wythenshawe are at home to their main rivals in the league, South Liverpool.
We are expecting more than 170 for the next home match. There is a lot of excitement.
Club chairman Carl Barratt on fans
Carl reckons that the stars like playing at Hollyhedge Park because it has a good quality pitch which the club has spent £1.4million on.
The 1,500 capacity ground, which has a clubhouse and a small covered section, is sure to attract bigger crowds. Carl adds: “We are expecting more than 170 for the next home match. There is a lot of excitement.”
It is a much-needed boost to a club which was made homeless ten years ago when a 32-year-long ground- sharing organisation with the local cricket club ended.
That meant Wythenshawe FC had to find a permanent home of their own which they did when Hollyhedge Park stadium was completed in September 2017.
Two years ago they dropped the Amateur from the club name, becoming Wythemshawe FC instead of AFC.
But they kept the Ammies nickname in a nod to their history.
Heskey and co remain unpaid, finding reward in victory rather than a bulging bank balance.
PRICEY SECRETS
Katie Price reveals she snogged EMINEM and two more A-list Hollywood stars
HORROR STORY
I nearly died after the Yorkshire Ripper attacked me with a screwdriver
While there is a lot of cynicism about the millions earned by footballers in the modern game, the joy that these ageing stars feel for playing for free shows that the beautiful game is not dead.
Read the full article here