Gainsborough Trinity have hit out at an unidentified individual who has been posing as manager Russ Wilcox to make bogus transfer and wage proposals to players across the non-league system.
The Northern Premier League Premier Division club, competing in the seventh tier of English football, said the impersonator has reached out to "a number of players" at various levels of the non-league pyramid, offering deals that have nothing to do with the club or its manager.
Chief executive Matt Boles moved to clarify the situation publicly, insisting that none of the communications regarding potential signings originated from Wilcox or from anyone connected to Gainsborough Trinity.
"We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible," Boles said in a statement published on the club's official website. "Impersonating a football manager and making false representations to players is completely unacceptable and has the potential to cause unnecessary disruption and reputational damage to players, managers and clubs."
According to Boles, the club first became suspicious of the fraudulent activity after receiving calls from managers and officials at rival clubs who had grown wary of messages supposedly sent by Wilcox. Their familiarity with how the experienced manager typically conducts business helped expose the deception almost immediately.
"Many have done so precisely because they know Russ, know the professional standards by which he conducts himself, and immediately recognised that this is not the manner in which he would approach or attempt to recruit a player," Boles explained.
The Gainsborough chief executive did not hold back when addressing the culprit directly, demanding an end to the scheme that has caused confusion throughout non-league football.
"Enough is enough," Boles said. "Stop impersonating our manager, stop wasting the time of players and clubs across the non-league game and, quite frankly, get a life."
The club has since escalated the matter by informing both the Northern Premier League and the Football Association of the fraudulent approaches, seeking to prevent further disruption to players and fellow clubs who may be targeted.
Wilcox, who took charge of Gainsborough Trinity in 2023, has overseen a period of relative success for the club, guiding them to the FA Cup second round during the 2024-25 season and to the first round in the current campaign. Before arriving at Gainsborough, he held managerial positions at Scunthorpe United and York City, building a reputation as a respected figure in the lower tiers of English football.
As a player, Wilcox enjoyed a lengthy career representing several English clubs, including Northampton Town, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers, Preston North End and Scunthorpe United, experience that has clearly informed the professional manner in which he now operates as a manager.
The incident highlights a growing concern within non-league football regarding impersonation scams, which can mislead players into believing they are receiving genuine offers from clubs and managers, only to find the approaches are entirely fabricated. Gainsborough Trinity's public statement aims to protect not only their own reputation but also to warn other clubs and players who may become targets of similar deception in the future.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.