Gainsborough Trinity Condemns Hoax Impersonating Manager Russ Wilcox

In the quieter corners of English football, where word of mouth still carries more weight than glossy press releases, Gainsborough Trinity have found themselves dealing with a very modern problem: an impersonator posing as their manager.

The Northern Premier League Premier Division club have publicly condemned an individual who has been approaching players with bogus transfer and wage offers while falsely claiming to be boss Russ Wilcox.

The seventh-tier side say the same person has contacted “a number of players” across various levels of the non-league pyramid, attempting to lure them with offers that have nothing to do with the club.

CEO Matt Boles moved quickly to draw a hard line.

He stressed he wanted to make it “categorically clear” that any such communication had not come from Wilcox or anyone acting on Gainsborough’s behalf. The club, he said, will not allow its name or its manager’s reputation to be dragged into a stunt that risks unsettling players and undermining trust between clubs.

“We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible,” Boles said on the club’s 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.”

The alarm bells started ringing when managers and officials from other clubs went straight to the source. Suspicious messages, odd approaches, something not quite right. They picked up the phone to Wilcox.

Those who know him, Boles explained, immediately sensed something was off.

“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,” he said.

The picture is clear: the hoaxer has been active enough to trigger a chain of calls across the non-league scene, but the attempt has run into the one thing you cannot fake – reputation built over time.

Boles then turned his statement directly at the culprit, dropping any hint of diplomacy.

“Enough is enough,” he said. “Stop impersonating our manager, stop wasting the time of players and clubs across the non-league game and, quite frankly, get a life.”

Gainsborough have already escalated the matter, informing both the Northern Premier League and the Football Association of the incidents. For a club that has enjoyed recent FA Cup moments under Wilcox – reaching the second round in 2024-25 and the first round the previous season – this is an unwelcome distraction at a time when focus should be on the pitch.

Wilcox, appointed in 2023 after previous managerial spells at Scunthorpe United and York City, carries a long-standing reputation in the game. As a player, he turned out for Northampton Town, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers, Preston North End and Scunthorpe United, building the sort of network and standing that now helps expose a fraud quickly.

Non-league football relies on that network. On trust, on a handshake, on knowing the voice at the other end of the line.

Someone tried to exploit that. Gainsborough Trinity have made it clear they will not let it slide.