Blackpool fans have raised over £20,000 in three days for a pensioner who must pay damages to the club after being threatened with court action over allegations he made on Facebook about the Oyston family.

Frank Knight, 67, made comments online about the Blackpool chairman, Karl Oyston, and the owner, Owen Oyston, but was asked to apologise and pay a five-figure sum to prevent the matter from going to court.

Fellow Blackpool fans set up a fundraising campaign for Knight to help him with the expenses and they reached their target within three days.

“Thank you to all Blackpool fans for digging deep, and football fans of other clubs throughout the land (and world!),” read a statement on the fundraising page. “I’ve been in contact with the Knight family and they want me to express their gratitude to every single one of you that’s donated and promoted this campaign.”

The Oystons have threatened several fans with libel action over comments posted online. In February, Blackpool’s owners launched a libel case against the supporters’ forum Back Henry Street over six allegedly derogatory messages made about the pair, while another supporter, David Ragozzino, was given three weeks to respond to a claim for £150,000 damages from the club over a post made on another website, Another View From the Tower. And now the organisers of Knight’s fundraising campaign want to help out those people too.

“Frank’s total [may have] been reached but the fight continues,” read the statement. “Frank has given his full support to keep this fund going to help other Blackpool fans served with legal fees similar to himself. Steven Sharpe, Tim Fielding and David Ragozzino all face huge legal fees to pay and I think it would be a great legacy for Frank to keep going to help these fans out in THEIR hour of need.”