The Sunday League team packed with ex-Premier League stars: How players from Cheshire’s wealthy ‘footballer belt’ are giving local amateurs no chance – so can you recognise them all?

Those attending Wythenshawe FC Vets Sunday League matches were stunned to see a host of former Premier League stars, including Joleon Lescott, move up to the ninth division.

Former Manchester City and England defender Lescott recently scored a hat-trick for the Cheshire Veterans Football League side, eight years after hanging up his boots.

They say age is just a number and Lescott, his former City team-mates Stephen Ireland and Nedum onuoha, as well as former Burnley midfielder George Boyd, prove it.

Wythenshawe FC Vets have been increasing goal difference in recent matches to cement their place at the top of the league and are currently nine points and 19 goals ahead of second-placed South Liverpool, who have six points and three goal difference.

This increase has occurred since the arrival of former professionals, who have made a total of 822 Premier League appearances, to the over-35 team.

Wythenshawe recently defeated Radcliffe FC Old Boys 10-1 in a game in which Boyd found the back of the net five times, Ireland scored four times and Lescott, reborn as a striker, also came on.

Stephen Ireland, Cisse and Joleon Lescott during Premier League matches

Defeating AFC Monton 7-1, Ireland scored four more goals and Lescott scored another hat-trick.

Lescott, who has 26 caps for England, recently spoke about his exploits with Wythenshawe FC on the In the Mixer podcast, adding that he enjoyed being able to ‘run around’.

Lescott said: ‘I’m over 35, I’m a striker, I did 10k yesterday (in the match).

‘To be fair to the two poacher goals I did recognize when the danger was and on the other I forced the mistake.

‘I can put quite a lot of pressure on the level, the defender passes the ball back, takes a short shot and I go around the goalkeeper.’

Legendary sports commentator Martin Tyler added: ‘This is special news, something that should be in the headlines: “Joleon Lescott hat-trick”.’

Ireland, Boyd and Lescott have 17 goals in the league and all three are among the top scorers; Ireland top the charts having scored eight goals in two matches.

Former Chelsea and Leicester star Danny Drinkwater is registered with the team but has not played yet.

The side even uploaded a video of Ireland scoring a stunning free-kick against AFC Monton a few weeks ago.

And finally, former Newcastle star Papis Cisse scored all six goals in Wythenshawe’s 6-2 win over Collegiate Old Boys.

Unsurprisingly, fans caught on and encouraged others to watch them play, with one writing above the X: ‘Wythenshawe FC Vets. Wow. What a great team and well worth watching on Sunday mornings.’

Another fan uploaded a photo of himself watching Lescott and his mate on the field, saying: ‘A few familiar faces playing for Wythenshawe Vets this morning.’

Darron Gibson also made his only appearance for Wythenshawe FC’s senior squad so far, in the 3-1 win over AFC Liverpool in September. v

Part of the answer to why so many former Premier League stars are flocking to Wythensawe FC Vets is that many of these stars still reside in the ‘golden triangle’ of nearby Cheshire.

Located less than 10 miles from Wythenshawe, the area consists of Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Prestbury and is sometimes referred to as the ‘football belt’; home prices here are among the highest in the region.

These are largely driven by luxury properties and high-profile residents; Football players playing in Liverpool, Everton and Manchester clubs enjoy the privilege of the region.

Over the past few years, prices have fallen in much of central London and many of the UK’s other high-value property locations, including the Cornish coast, the Cotswolds and North Norfolk, due to high interest rates and economic and political uncertainty.

But average sales prices across Cheshire’s “golden circle” – whose residents include Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Jordan Pickford – rose 10.7 per cent last year, according to the UK House Price Index.

Foden sold his Prestbury mansion for £3 million earlier this year and moved to a quieter house in the Cheshire countryside.