Keane Lewis-Potter netted his maiden Brentford goal on his first start to help send the Bees into the third round of the Carabao Cup, following a 2-0 victory over Colchester United at the JobServe Community Stadium.

The summer arrival from Hull opened the scoring just before the break, collecting Shandon Baptiste’s ball through and calmly slotting past Kieran O’Hara.

The home side had their moments after the break, Alex Newby bringing a fine save out of Thomas Strakosha with a late header, but Thomas Frank’s side ensured safe passage to tomorrow night’s third round draw with an injury-time Mads Bech Sorensen goal.

Thomas Frank made 11 changes from the weekend’s Premier League trip to Fulham, handing a debut to Mikkel Damsgaard in attack. Zanka also made his first appearance since re-signing, partnering Bech in the centre of defence. Colchester rang the changes, making six alterations from their weekend defeat to Leyton Orient.

Despite the changes, both sides showed plenty of fluidity in a frantic opening ten minutes. Brentford could have gone ahead inside 90 seconds as Baptiste won back possession on the edge of the Colchester box, he fed Halil Dervişoğlu with an early ball, but the Turkish international shot pulled his shot wide from a central position on the edge of the box.

The hosts created an almost identical chance when they first visited Brentford territory. Noah Chilvers did well to keep the ball in down the left and find Newby; the Colchester attacker shifted the ball onto his right and then curled a shot from 20 yards which had debutant Strakosha scrambling across his line as it skipped wide.

Cole Skuse went for the spectacular from Al-Amin Kazeem’s cut-back moments later but that was the last danger Strakosha’s goal would be under for a while as Brentford started to take control.

Damsgaard almost marked his debut with a sixth-minute goal, but the ball skimmed off his head and wide as he tried to divert home Lewis-Potter’s cross from deep. Next to threaten was Baptiste but, having created the opening with some quick feet, he saw his goal-bound shot blocked by the ranks of blue and white defenders.

As the half progressed those defenders were spending more and more of their time hemmed back inside their own half as Brentford’s press stopped Colchester from playing out and Zanka and Bech marshalled the threat of United’s lone striker John Akinde.

Baptiste in particular was finding joy and he had a fine chance to open the scoring on the quarter-hour. Having collected Bech’s ball through he tried to round O’Hara, but the Colchester keeper plunged at his feet and claimed the ball before Shandon could get a shot off.

Skuse and Miranda were occupying a deeper midfield role to soak up pressure and it worked. While Brentford saw plenty of the ball, O’Hara was well protected as the game settled down.

Having eased the pressure on their goal, Colchester began to ask questions of their own. Akinde looped a tame header into the arms of Strakosha from a deep free-kick as a warning of the threat they posed.

And the home side should have scored on their next attack, Tom Dallinson met Skuse’s free-kick perfectly in the middle of the goal but his header flew over the bar from eight yards out. Junior Tchamadeu also shot off target after meeting a deep corner as Colchester enjoyed their best spell of the half.

You sensed a goal might be coming and it did, except it came at the other end. Baptiste released Lewis-Potter with a perfectly-weighted through ball. The England youth international kept his cool as defenders rushed to get back, waiting for O’Hara to commit, before passing it low into the corner.

It was the last action of the first half and the early exchanges of the second half were nowhere near as fluid.

Chilvers volleyed an effort well over for the hosts while Dervişoğlu had Brentford’s first opening. However, he shot over from an angle after Damsgaard teed up Lewis-Potter.

A heavy challenge from Tchamadeu on Mads Roerslev led to a yellow card for the offender and a long period of treatment for Mads which disrupted the flow of the game. Mads was eventually replaced with captain for the night, Vitaly Janelt, dropping into a back three to negate the expected Colchester onslaught.

When the home side did up the pressure, they only really tested Strakosha on one occasion; the Bees stopper plunging to his left to claw away Newby’s downward header. From the resulting corner, Dallison got up highest but flicked his header narrowly off target. 

There was a debut for Brentford B midfielder Ryan Trevitt with 18 minutes to play and he had a golden chance to put the game to bed five minutes from time. O’Hara’s save from Baptiste was unconvincing and it rolled nicely for Trevit to meet it ten yards out. However, his shot crashed off the bar and bounced out to the edge of the box for another substitute, Josh Dasilva, to fire over.

Another replacement, Ivan Toney, almost caught O’Hara out with a well-struck shot but there was nothing the home keeper could do as Brentford eventually put the game to bed in injury time.

Toney met Saman Ghoddos’ in-swinging corner and nodded it towards goal. In trying to get out of the way, the ball bounced off Bech’s shoulder and trickled inside the unguarded post.

The rest of injury time was played out with no alarm for either side, confirming Brentford’s passage through to the Third Round for the fourth time in five seasons.

Brentford: Strakosha; Roerslev (Dasilva 64), Zanka, Bech, Stevens; Onyeka (Ghoddos 56), Janelt, Baptiste; Lewis-Potter (Toney 72), Damsgaard (Wissa 64), Dervişoğlu (Trevitt 72)

Subs not used: Cox, Hickey, Jensen, Jansson

Colchester United: O’Hara; Tchamadeu, Eastman (Chambers 46), Dallison, Kazeem (Clampin 64); Miranda (Nouble 83), Skuse; Ashley (Owens 64), Chilvers, Newby; Akinde

Subs not used: Hornby, Hannant, Sears, Coxe, Tovide

Attendance: 5,516