Veteran Maestros Turn Sunday League into a Showcase: Lescott Leads the Charge

There’s Sunday League, and then there’s Wythenshawe Veterans – a side stacked with top-flight pedigree and swaggering through the Cheshire Veterans Football League. Four familiar faces with a combined 822 Premier League appearances are making mugs of the opposition, and it’s a delightfully cheeky watch for anyone who loves a touch of big-time quality on a muddy pitch.

Wythenshawe’s seniors play at the ninth tier, but their vets are operating on a different plane right now. A 7-1 rout of AFC Monton was followed by a 10-1 thumping of Radcliffe FC Old Boys. It’s less Sunday morning slog, more testimonial with bite.

Lescott’s striker renaissance

Yes, you read that right. Joleon Lescott, the former England and Manchester City centre-half, has parked the defensive duties and stuck himself up top – and it looks suspiciously natural. He helped himself to a hat-trick in that 7-1 dismantling of AFC Monton, mixing predator’s instincts with the savvy you only get after years at the sharp end. He even joked recently that he clocked serious mileage and pressed defenders into errors before coolly rounding the keeper – the sort of streetwise forward play that makes veterans football look easy.

It caps a busy spell for Lescott: he’s been part of Lee Carsley’s interim England senior setup after Gareth Southgate’s exit, and he even took to the decks at Reading and Leeds Festival over the summer. From the tunnel to the turntables to terrorising backlines on a Sunday – some career pivot, that.

Onuoha the organiser

Nedum Onuoha, 38 and still built like a modern full-back’s blueprint, brings calm authority. The Manchester City academy product – with Premier League minutes for City, a stint at Sunderland, and solid spells at QPR and Real Salt Lake – reads games two passes ahead at this level. He’s done his bit in broadcasting too, and now he’s the understated metronome at the back, snuffing out danger before it starts.

Boyd turns back the clock

George Boyd, that tireless wide man who thrived under Sean Dyche’s no-nonsense 4-4-2 at Burnley, produced a vintage performance with five goals in the 10-1 hammering of Radcliffe Old Boys. First strikes of the season, yes, but they’ve catapulted the 40-year-old straight into the scoring charts. The engine is still purring, and the technique remains silky enough to embarrass any full-back who dares switch off.

Ireland’s party piece

Stephen Ireland is the team’s deadliest finisher so far: eight goals in two matches, including a peach of a free-kick bent into the top corner that did the rounds online. The former Manchester City, Aston Villa and Stoke City playmaker had 246 Premier League outings, chipping in with 19 goals and 28 assists, and once rattled in four goals in six appearances for the Republic of Ireland before his international career hit the rocks. At 39, he’s rediscovered that eye for the spectacular – and at this level, every set piece feels like a penalty.

Veterans with a first-team feel

Put it all together and Wythenshawe’s veterans have the aura of a proper side. Experience at the back, legs in midfield, know-how in the final third – it’s a cheat code in this league. Their opponents are turning up for a kickabout; they’re facing seasoned pros who’ve seen it all and still fancy dishing out lessons.

For those keeping tabs on the story and looking for a broader view on the weekend action and odds, remember: form is temporary, class is permanent. If you’re weighing up a flutter, you can browse the latest offers via best betting sites – and then enjoy the show these lads are putting on.

Bottom line? Wythenshawe Veterans aren’t just winning – they’re entertaining. Lescott leading the line, Onuoha marshalling, Boyd ghosting in at the back post, and Ireland painting the corners – it’s a nostalgic greatest hits album, played loud on a Sunday morning. Long may it continue.