AN INDEPENDENT solicitor will be appointed to oversee the distribution of all funds raised to help save the short-term future of Hartlepool United.

An on-line Just Giving page has passed the £53,000 mark, with the club in need of around £200,000 to stave off the threat of administration.

Jeff Stelling, the club’s vice president, met a prospective investor on Monday evening. One other option has gone cold, with Stelling admitting there was a barrier in the way of a proposed deal.

It is hoped that progress can be made with the interested party, but nothing will happen before the weekend when Pools take on Wrexham at Victoria Park.

The game is heading for a sell-out with only 400 tickets remaining.

A meeting of supporters was held last night, arranged by Michael Lewis who launched a campaign on social media to try and save the club.

He said: “I’ve done plenty of media interviews with newspapers and radio stations across the world - the hope is that one of them brings a buyer. Who knows? And I thank everyone for sharing the posts on social media – it’s certainly gone better than I hoped.’’

Lewis and a handful of others in attendance last night who helped organise the evening had a meeting with chairman Pam Duxbury yesterday afternoon.

They were able to tell the audience that all monies given to the club as part of the fund-raising will be fairly distributed through a solicitor.

A number of fans will be invited to attend the club to oversee the process, ensuring none of it goes to Sage Investments, the company who want out of Pools after taking charge last summer.

They called on fans to get into Victoria Park early on Saturday and spend money inside the ground to help boost the coffers.

Wages need to be paid on January 25, and gate receipts from Saturday’s game will go a long way to ensuring they are. There has been a number of outlays made this week – catering, match programmes, admin costs, and service charges - to ensure the game can go ahead.

However, the club’s home kit is still being held by the club’s laundrette with an outstanding and back-dated bill waiting to be paid.

Stelling has called on all supporters to come together to help save the club. He met with members of the Supporters’ Trust committee on Monday evening.

He said: "We need to make sure that we are fighting as one unified body to raise money to save the club in the short term. It's called Hartlepool United and this needs to be the time when all supporters are united.

"You can't have everyone singing from a different hymn sheet."

The Trust issued a further statement last night, announcing their long-term fund-raising plan is on hold until the short-term efforts are over.