A non-league football club has told a hoaxer to “get a life” after they allegedly impersonated the club’s manager while approaching players with transfer and wage offers.
The club, which competes in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football, has said a person has reached out to “a number of players” at several levels of the non-league pyramid while pretending to be manager Russ Wilcox.
Chief executive Matt Boles said he wanted to make it “categorically clear” that communication over potential deals had not come from Wilcox or on behalf of the club.
The club’s response
“We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible,” Boles said on the Gainsborough club 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.”
Gainsborough learned of the fake approaches when managers and officials at other clubs reached out to Wilcox directly, believing he was not the person sending the messages, according to Boles.
“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 said.
A direct message to the impersonator
The message Boles sent to the person behind the hoax was forceful.
“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.”
The Northern Premier League and the Football Association have been informed about the incidents by Gainsborough.
Under Wilcox’s guidance, the club made it to the FA Cup second round in 2024-25 and the first round last season, with the manager having been with the club since 2023.
During his time in football, Wilcox had a management career that included stints at Scunthorpe United and York City, and he also played for several clubs.
- Northampton Town
- Hull City
- Doncaster Rovers
- Preston North End
- Scunthorpe
| Club | Role |
|---|---|
| Scunthorpe United | Manager |
| York City | Manager |
| Northampton Town | Player |
| Hull City | Player |
| Doncaster Rovers | Player |
| Preston North End | Player |
| Scunthorpe | Player |
Source: bbc.co.uk
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