A FASHION assassin has Garfield footballers quaking in their boots.

For weeks, players have been plagued by a spray paint-wielding bandit with a penchant for turning new-style white boots into traditionalist black.

So dire is the situation, some footballers have taken to keeping their gear locked in cars to try and avoid the dreaded paint job.

Speculation is raging as to the mystery boot bandit’s identity.

Stars senior coach Ben Soumilas was most under suspicion — until he opened his bag before a recent game to find his trusty black boots had become a hot shade of pink.

Most football followers would be aware of the white boot trend — once the exclusive domain of 1980s-era high-flying glamour forwards but now to be seen by the dozen at a playing field near you.

Soumilas, who has led the West Gippsland league club to a top-of-the-table start to the season, said the trend for wearing white boots had got on the nerves of a few of the more experienced players.

“Somebody at Garfield — nobody is quite sure who — has done something about it,” he said.

“If an unsuspecting player is silly enough to leave their white boots unattended in their bag they have returned to find them spray-painted black.

“We’ve even had mums threatening to ‘get the bandit’ after having to scrub boots clean.”

Soumilas said blonde goal sneak and club favourite Beau Runnalls thought he had the problem covered when he packed two pairs of white boots for the match against Maffra.

“The bandit sprayed one of each pair and he was forced to wear different coloured boots,” Soumilas said.

People around the club have different views of who the culprit is but Soumilas said the bandit was too smart for most and that there was likely to be more than one.

“Everyone is on edge,” he said.