Fleetwood Town chairman Andy Pilley delighted to help League One rivals Blackpool off the pitch through Card Saver business

The Blackpool-based payment solutions company – set up and led by the Fleetwood chairman – will now provide all cashless payment services at Bloomfield Road.

It is the reason Pilley has been seen at Bloomfield Road this week - sightings which sparked false rumours among fans that he was advising the new board or planning a takeover.

Pilley says the new board at Blackpool contacted him to roll out the new technology that will be used throughout the ground and will be in place for Saturday's home clash with Southend United.

Blackpool are expecting a crowd of over 14,000 this weekend as Seasiders fans flock back to Bloomfield Road after the Oyston regime ended.

Pilley is delighted to be part of the new dawn. He said: “Myself and Card Saver are delighted to be the new payment technology providers for Blackpool Football Club.

“Blackpool FC and Fleetwood Town are rivals on the pitch for 180 minutes every season, but we are also Fylde coast neighbours and so I’m delighted my company is partnering with the Seasiders in this way.

“You can clearly see from the crowds that have already been queuing up to get tickets there is huge excitement building ahead of Saturday’s game.

“The new board at Blackpool contacted me to say they needed a new card services and contactless payments provider and asked whether we could help.

“We have now installed 25 payment terminals covering all areas of the club, from the ticket office and club shop to the hospitality and food and beverage areas.

“I am delighted Card Saver is able to provide payment solutions for this proud and historic football club as they and their fans enter a new era.”

Card Saver was set up in 2015 and has thousands of business customers across the UK. It also works with Burnley FC as well as Fleetwood Town.

Card Saver enables fans to buy tickets, merchandise or food and drink at Bloomfield Road via credit/debit cards, or Apple and Google Pay.

And Ben Hatton, Blackpool FC’s new executive director and managing director, said: "We are extremely grateful to Andy Pilley and to everyone at Card Saver for coming in at short notice and pulling out all the stops to get us up and running for Saturday.

“These new payment terminals will make a huge difference, particularly at the kiosks in the stadium. Having contactless payments available to all supporters should significantly speed up the time taken to serve people.

“It has been heart-warming to experience the swell of support for the club in the last week or so, and the fact Andy, the chairman of a neighbouring rival League One club, has been so helpful is a fantastic example of the football family pulling together.”