Gainsborough Trinity has condemned an individual impersonating manager Russ Wilcox and contacting players with fabricated transfer and wage proposals. The Northern Premier League Premier Division club issued a statement making clear that no such communications originated from the club itself.
CEO Matt Boles addressed the situation directly, emphasizing that the hoax had crossed a line. “Enough is enough, Stop impersonating our manager, stop wasting the time of players and clubs across the non-league game and, quite frankly, get a life,” Boles said.
The impostor sent false offers to players, creating confusion and potentially disrupting recruitment discussions within the non-league football community. By falsely representing themselves as the club’s manager, the individual misled multiple parties across the sport.
Gainsborough Trinity’s swift public response underscores the seriousness with which the club treats attempts to defraud or deceive its workforce and the wider football network. The statement served as both a clarification to affected parties and a direct appeal to the person behind the hoax to cease the activity immediately.