On Friday evening Sun Sports, a Watford footballing institution some 96 years of age, appeared to have breathed it’s last as a statement confirmed the club had folded.

What a difference 24 hours and a little help from some friends can make then, as the Sun did indeed rise once more on Saturday.

So often rivals Kings Langley, among other clubs in the area, came to the aid of Sun and have offered to allow them to play their home games at Gaywood Park.

The need to do so came after the owners of Sun’s home ground demanded a payment, claimed to be £20,000, for the use of their home ground.

For Kings chairman, Jeremy Wilkins, the decision to come to the aid of a grand old club was a no-brainer.

“Whether it be a youth team or senior team, being unable to stage a football match is very, very sad. For a local club of Sun’s heritage it is particularly disappointing,” Wilkins said.

“We have quite a lot of connections to Sun. Players have gone between the two clubs and our current manager has been in charge there.

“It’s a local club in trouble so we picked up the phone and said ‘come along and we will see what we can do to help’.

“We don’t know the politics of the situation, we just want to be able to help, whether that be offering our pitch, equipment or players, we are willing to do that.”

While Gaywood Park will play host to Sun, it is a near impossibility they will be able to host all their home games there.

Kings need to complete their own fixture commitments and Watford Ladies will also use the ground this season.

With this in mind, Wilkins confirmed other local clubs have been contacted and it is likely Sun will play at a number of venues in 2017/18.

He also confirmed the use of any facilities will come free of charge as Kings look to help get their neighbours back on their feet.

“For us this is not about money. If they sort out the issues and get back to their home then happy days. This is not about Kings Langley,” he said.

“It could be perceived as us trying to make money from Sun’s misfortune, but that could not be further from the truth.

“We want to get them in a position where they can play their football, whether that is at our ground or somewhere else. We are talking to other local clubs to see if we can provide facilities for them to play.”

On the pitch, Sun picked up a morale-boosting victory over London Colney in midweek as they held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out Premier Division Cup win.

A battling display against the league champions saw Sun take the lead through a fine header at the back post, only to be pegged back in the tie.

With the sides unable to be separated the game was decided by the lottery of spot kicks and two fine stops from the Sun keeper gave Tim O’Sullivan’s side a 4-3 win.

Wilkins believes the victory is evidence of the ups and downs of football and provides proof things can get better for Sun.

He said: “On Friday it was doom and gloom and come Tuesday they won a cup game away at London Colney.

“So from a position of being without a club they are back playing and winning football matches.”