On the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, thousands of soldiers went over the top into history's bloodiest battle. Yet behind the trenches, football endured. This is the remarkable story of how the game survived the First World War and helped soldiers cling to their humanity.

You always saw them before you saw the ground. The floodlight pylon was the most honest landmark in English football, and then, quietly, it vanished. A story of steel, light and the away day skyline we lost.