Jon Waldron, reporter for the Daily Gazette, believes Brentford’s Carabao Cup second-round tie against Colchester United could be decided by penalties.

It’s been a summer of change for Colchester who have recruited 11 new players in a bid to climb away from the bottom end of Sky Bet League Two. The U’s lost 1-0 to Harrogate last time out, but have earned some notable results already this season, beating MK Dons 2-0 and League One Reading on penalties in the Carabao Cup first round.

The Bees are no strangers to penalty shootouts in this competition. Ellery Balcombe was the hero last season as he saved two spot-kicks on his debut to send Thomas Frank’s side through to the third round following a 1-1 draw with Newport County.

What have you made of Colchester’s start to the season?

They lost 4-2 to AFC Wimbledon on the opening day. Colchester started brilliantly and were ahead inside one minute through Ben Goodliffe on his debut, who then scored again after nine minutes, and we were wondering what could go wrong.

Unfortunately, the Dons scored quite soon after that, the momentum shifted, and Colchester could not get back into the game.

They did very well to bounce back from that by beating Reading in the Carabao Cup and they were full value for their win. I know it went to penalties, but they deserved to go through as they were the better team. They scored every spot-kick, with goalkeeper Matt Macey the hero after saving a couple on his home debut, which went lifted everyone after the Wimbledon defeat.

And that continued when they beat MK Dons. Danny Cowley had been happy to name them as one of the title favourites before the match, but again Colchester deserved their win. That was a really good result, and one Colchester fans were encouraged by.

Colchester flirted with relegation last season, finishing only three points above the drop zone. Is there a better mood around the place now?

Yes, 100 per cent. It was lifted in January when Danny and Nicky Cowley took over as there had been a lot of doom and gloom before that.

They brought a fair few players in during the January window to try and implement their own style of play and they secured survival in League Two, which was the ultimate aim when they took over. It went down to the last day, in the end, but a draw against Crewe kept them up.

Since then, they have been building for this season. They brought in 11 new signings over the summer, which really illustrates just how much change has taken place at the club.

There is a real optimism that this can be a much better season. The last four seasons have been a struggle against relegation, so some of the fans would even take a mid-table finish, given what they have been through. The feel-good factor is there.

This is the second Carabao Cup meeting between Brentford and Colchester in three seasons. What would it mean to make a bit of a dent in the competition, as they did in 2019/20, when the U’s reached the quarter-final?

The fans still talk about that run when they beat Spurs and Crystal Palace on penalties and played Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time in the club’s history!

It was an amazing time and the fans really embraced that, so if they could do anything like that again, it would be a real boost.

Danny Cowley has said he would really like a cup run this season, too. The Reading result gave them a taste of what it might feel like to be an underdog, but it goes up a couple of notches now, with Brentford coming to Essex. This will be one to look forward to.

Which player should Brentford fans keep an eye on?

There are so many new signings and some of them are still feeling their way in during the first few matches, but one player that has made a real impact instantly is Jack Payne, who the Cowleys knew from their time at Lincoln.

Payne is an experienced midfielder who has been around and played at a high level for Huddersfield in the past. He has really hit the ground running and looks as though he has been playing for Colchester for years!

He is playing just behind the front two with a lot of freedom and influence in the final third. Judging by the first few games, if he plays well, Colchester have got a good chance of winning.

How is Danny Cowley likely to set up his side?

He is quite flexible with his formations. Looking at what he has done so far, there are going to be three centre-halves, with two wing-backs; Manny Egbo is versatile and is up and down the flank a lot, whereas on the other side, JK Gordon is more of a traditional attacking winger and not so much of a defensive player.

You will see centre-halves coming over and playing in more of a full-back role at times. Alex Woodyard is the one holding midfielder, with Teddy Bishop and the aforementioned Payne in front of him in a triangle, with Tom Hopper and Samson Tovide the two forwards.

Lyle Taylor signed in the summer and has not featured yet, but he was signed to start and I would imagine he will start when he is fit, which could be by the time of the Brentford game.

Brentford won the last meeting 2-0 two years ago, but what’s your score prediction this time?

A couple of years ago, I seem to remember Brentford were in control and it never really seemed like there was going to be too much of an upset.

I would say it would be the same again, even if Brentford play a second-string team or make lots of changes, and that they would be too strong. But I am going to be optimistic for Colchester and say it will end in a draw after 90 minutes and they will win on penalties.