In a corner of English football where trust and reputation still travel faster than money, Gainsborough Trinity have been forced to confront a scam that cuts right through the heart of the non-league game.
The Northern Premier League Premier Division club have condemned an individual who has been approaching players with transfer and wage offers while falsely claiming to be Trinity boss Russ Wilcox.
The approaches have not been isolated. Gainsborough say “a number of players” at different levels of the non-league pyramid have been contacted by someone masquerading as their manager, attempting to open talks over potential moves.
Club CEO Matt Boles moved quickly to draw a clear line.
He stressed that any such communication had nothing to do with Wilcox or Gainsborough Trinity, and that the club wanted it “categorically clear” that the messages were bogus and unauthorised.
“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 was first raised not by Trinity, but by the wider non-league community. Managers and officials at other clubs began contacting Wilcox directly, suspicious that the tone and style of the messages did not fit the man they knew.
That, in many ways, is what exposed the hoax.
“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.
Wilcox, a respected figure with a long track record in the professional and semi-professional game, has built up that trust over decades. His managerial career has taken in Scunthorpe United and York City, while his playing days saw him turn out for Northampton Town, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers, Preston North End and Scunthorpe.
At Gainsborough, he has already delivered memorable moments. Trinity reached the FA Cup first round last season and went one better in 2024-25, advancing to the second round under his guidance. Those cup runs have raised the club’s profile, but they have also underlined the standards Wilcox demands and the way he operates.
So when messages started circulating that did not sound like him, people noticed.
Boles did not hide his anger at the situation and delivered a pointed message to the person behind the impersonation.
“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 reported the matter to both the Northern Premier League and the Football Association, ensuring the game’s authorities are fully aware of the bogus approaches and the damage they could cause.
At non-league level, where deals are often built on a handshake and a phone call, that damage is not just financial. It strikes at relationships between managers, players and clubs who rely on straight talking and good faith.
Trinity have made it clear where they stand. Now the wider non-league world will be watching closely to see how the authorities respond – and how quickly this kind of impersonation can be stamped out before it undermines the trust that keeps the pyramid standing.
