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Fulham brought in a web expert to pose as a 16-year-old female 'fan' and lure young footballers with fake Facebook messages in a warning about the perils of social media.

The West London Championship side's scheme to warn players about the perils of inappropriate contact with young female fans emerged in the wake of Adam Johnson's conviction yesterday for molesting a 15-year-old.

The expert posed as a 16-year-old girl, who claimed to be a Fulham supporter and sent messages to players via Facebook.

Former manager Kit Symons revealed some players were caught out by the test.

The exercise was set up to shock the club’s younger players into being more cautious when using sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Mr Symons told the Times: “Some of the young players fell for it as real.

“It was a short, sharp shock.

"You can tell lads about getting caught out and they’ll think ‘oh they won’t catch me’ and then that happens, they are caught.”

Mr Symons said there was more of an onus on footballers to be careful and emphasised the importance of his role as a manager in setting an example.

He said: “You strive to make the club a reflection on your own values and if a player did something against those values you’d feel let down.

“There are 30 lads you are father to.

"You hope when they are away from the working environment that their decision-making is sound.”

Former England winger Johnson, 28, has been warned he faces a lengthy jail sentence after being convicted on Wednesday of one count of sexual activity with a child.

He had previously admitted one count of grooming and another of sexual acivity with a child.

The FA has a code of conduct for social media use and will visit clubs on request to answer queries brought about by Facebook and Instagram.