A non-league football club has condemned a person falsely posing as their manager after several players were approached with phony transfer offers. Gainsborough Trinity, who compete as a seventh-tier club in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, released a furious statement on Wednesday to hit out at an individual who has been impersonating their manager Russ Wilcox.The club reported that ‘a number of players across different levels of the non-league game’ had been contacted by the imposter with false transfer offers and wage proposals. ‘We want to make it categorically clear that these approaches have not been made by Russ Wilcox, nor have they been made on behalf of Gainsborough Trinity Football Club,’ the statement, written by Chief Executive Officer Matt Boles, read.’We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible. 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.’Boles signed off the statement with a clear message to the impersonator. Gainsborough Trinity have condemned an imposter posing as their manager Russ WilcoxHe said: ‘Finally, to the person responsible: 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.’The seventh-tier club have made both the FA and Northern Premier League aware of the impersonator. According to Boles, the club became aware of the impersonator after managers and officials at other clubs contacted Wilcox directly, suspecting he was not responsible for the phony messages sent to their players.’Many (managers and officials) 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.Gainsborough, who currently sit eighth in the table with 13 points after eight matches, have enjoyed a couple of FA Cup runs under Wilcox of late, reaching the second round in 2024-25 and the first round last season.Wilcox has been at Gainsborough since 2023, taking charge after stints at Scunthorpe United and York City.