There are only two days of guaranteed sun and a bright outlook in English football. Both the FA Cup final and the opening day of the league season always begin in short-sleeve order and full of cheer. While the former is usually a send-off into the summer, the latter is a time for fresh starts and new hopes before autumn and reality bite. For some teams, it never gets any better than those moments before the big kick-off.

Over in East London, a place just getting used to not being the ...

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