There was a lovely moment in Thomas Frank's post-match interview, in the wake of Brentford's 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Colchester United, where the Dane ran through his entire starting XI to highlight how strong it was!

It is claimed that the magic of the cup has diminished in recent years, with many clubs choosing to field weakened teams and prioritise league stability over a decent run in a knockout competition.

But Frank's team selection and the jubilant scenes that greeted the Bees' success in Essex suggest the Premier League club follow a different script.

Keane Lewis-Potter's close-range strike in first-half injury time proved the difference between the two sides, although Brentford keeper Hákon Valdimarsson had to pull off a fantastic penalty save late on to preserve the Bees' advantage and book their place in the next round.

On his full debut for the club, Valdimarsson received a standing ovation from the travelling fans upon the final whistle, and the Iceland international's save from Jack Payne's 81st-minute spot-kick put additional gloss on a strong display from the 22-year-old, who survived an early set-piece bombardment from the hosts.

Young players, new signings and returning stalwarts all impressed in a dominant display (Brentford enjoyed 72 per cent possession) against League Two opposition and Frank afterwards ran through his XI and declared "that is a good team... we've got a good squad".

There were also full debuts for academy graduate Ryan Trevitt, Fábio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg, and all three made an impression after Brentford had weathered something of an early storm.

Playing out of position at right-back, Trevitt showcased his versatility and delivered a strong performance that featured two key passes and a role in the Bees' match-winning goal, while no player on the pitch won more aerial duels (4) than Van den Berg in his first appearance in a Brentford shirt.

Carvalho's performance prompted his new manager to state, "I liked what I saw" - and the Portugal youth international fired in more shots (3) than any Brentford player while also drawing more fouls (3).

There were plenty of full internationals on show, with Frank Onyeka, Mikkel Damsgaard, Ukraine Under-21s prospect Yehor Yarmoliuk and Kevin Schade all featuring from the off. German forward Schade showed great persistence to harry Colchester's Aaron Donnelly and assist Lewis-Potter's match-winning strike.

The ever-dependable Vitaly Janelt put in a solid shift at left-back, but arguably the Bees' most impressive outfielder was centre-back Ben Mee on his long-awaited return to first-team action.

Out since February, Mee was rock solid at the heart of Brentford's defence and he made the most clearances (5) of any player on the field, while also completing considerably more passes (105) - the centre-back also completed 10 of 14 attempted long balls (71 per cent).

It may have taken a special save from Valdimarssson to secure the result, but it was a good night's work from the Bees; they will now face Leyton Orient in the third round, after the O's 1-0 victory over Millwall on Tuesday night.