Colchester United have won one, drawn one and lost three in the league, and beat Ipswich Town in the first round of the Carabao Cup. What have you made of what you have seen in the opening weeks of the season?

I think the word 'mixed' would be quite an accurate one. There have been some really good moments, particularly the 1-0 win against Bradford last week. That was arguably their best performance yet and they deserved to win it - they changed things up and played some good football, but also dug in and defended well when they needed to as well. All aspects of their game were on form that night, so that was really good.

We saw the more defensive side of their game against Ipswich, where they kept them at bay successfully and then took their chance when it came along. They played a really good team in Northampton on the first day of the season and pushed them all the way, only conceding in the last couple of minutes of a game they probably deserved to draw.

There have been one or two down moments, too, though. I was at Stockport on 13 August and saw what was a really disappointing performance all round; they didn’t have a shot on target, only mustered a couple of shots in total and didn’t look anything like an attacking force. The fans were quite down about that because they know they are capable of scoring goals.

Generally, though, there have been more positive moments than negative ones, so I’d say it has been pretty promising so far.

In 2019/20, they sensationally reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, seeing off Crystal Palace and Tottenham along the way. Do you think they will be targeting another upset tonight?

Definitely. They really enjoyed that run a few years ago. Prior to that, Colchester hadn’t really had too much success in the League Cup, though they have had a few runs to the FA Cup fourth and fifth rounds over the years.

To reach the quarter-finals under John McGreal, having beaten Premier League opposition, was an amazing experience for everyone at the club. It was a really good season as they reached the play-offs as well, so there are certainly happy memories of the competition and several players from that cup run are still at the club, too.

In Alan Judge, Tommy Smith and John Akinde, United have three ex-Brentford players on the books. How important is their experience in this squad?

It’s really important. It’s easy for me to say, but there was a reason Colchester have brought in more experienced players over the last few years; Tommy Smith was one of those, and Alan Judge was another.

With Colchester, the philosophy is to bring as many young players through the academy into the First Team as they can but, in order for them to flourish in the team, they need to have senior players around them and that’s why those three - and several others - have got a really crucial part to play, on the pitch as well as off it.

They set the standard for the rest of the squad and are very professional and disciplined in the way they go about things. It seems to have rubbed off in the way the young players go about their business, too. 

Which player should Brentford fans be keeping an eye on?

Marley Marshall-Miranda and Al-Amin Kazeem are two young players that have hit the ground running this season, but I would say Noah Chilvers is a standout player for Colchester. He is rated really highly, has come through the academy, and scored the winning penalty against Palace in the Carabao Cup a few years ago.

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength. He was Player of the Year the year before last, was excellent again last season, and has started this season really well; he has scored a few goals and provided the assist for Tom Eastman’s headed goal against Bradford.

He has a really big influence on the team with his set-plays, but also in open play, so he is capable of scoring goals, setting them up and making things happen. If Chilvers plays well, generally, Colchester play well. He has got a big future.

How is Wayne Brown likely to set up his side at the Colchester Community Stadium?

Good question! The reason I say that is because Wayne has used several different systems so far this season. One of them is the tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1, but he has also gone for 4-4-2 and, against Bradford, he went for a 4-1-4-1, which worked well.

Freddie Sears will always start - he was the leading scorer last year - but I think it is a case of whether Wayne plays someone alongside Freddie or whether he goes with a wide three behind him and Chilvers just behind as a No.10?

My view is that they won’t set up in the same way they did at Ipswich. It was a different game in the sense that they were playing away from home, trying to contain the home team and then trying to nick one, which is exactly what they did.

Against Brentford, I think the fans will demand they go for it because they have got nothing to lose and I’d be very surprised, with the game being at home, if Wayne went for an ultra-defensive formation.

The last meeting between the teams was memorable - particularly for U’s fans - as Colchester ran out 4-1 winners just after the Bees had secured promotion to the Championship. What’s your score prediction for this one?

I looked back on it the other day and couldn’t quite believe how long ago it was! With my Colchester hat on, I have to go for an upset.

My heart is ruling my head because, with the resources Brentford have and their Premier League status, they could probably put out a second team and still win the game, but I’ve seen Colchester beat Crystal Palace and Tottenham before, so it is possible! I’ll go for a Colchester win on penalties.