COLCHESTER United entertain Brentford tonight in the Carabao Cup.

With the Bees now a Premier League club and the U's in the fourth tier, the hosts will go into the second-round tie as underdogs.

However, there are plenty of past and present connections between the two clubs.

Current Colchester player Arthur Read represented Brentford, in the past.

Here the Gazette looks at six players who have pulled on the shirt for both clubs, over recent years.

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PAUL ABRAHAMS

COLCHESTER-born Abrahams made 179 appearances and scoring 34 goals.

He was a double promotion winner at Layer Road, going up with them in both 1992 and 1998.

Abrahams started his career with the U’s and won the non-league double with them before joining Brentford in 1995, for a fee of £30,000.

He clocked up 35 appearances for the Bees, scoring eight times, before rejoining Colchester in 1995 and then signing for them permanently the following year for a fee of £20,000.

Abrahams went on to have spells with non-league clubs such as Halstead Town, Wivenhoe Town and Heybridge Swifts.

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TARIQUE FOSU

THE winger arrived at the U's on loan from Championship side Reading in August, 2016.

He spent the whole of the 2016-17 season at Colchester, playing under John McGreal.

Fosu made 34 league and cup appearances for the U's, before returning to his parent club.

He joined Charlton Athletic in 2017 and joined Brentford in January 2020, for an undisclosed fee.

Fosu made his debut for the Bees the following month and had loan spells at Stoke City and Rotherham United, before joining League One side Northampton Town, earlier this month.

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COURTNEY SENIOR

SENIOR came through the academy at Brentford and made one senior substitute appearance for them before joining Colchester, in 2016.

He suffered a serious injury days after joining the U's in pre-season which kept him out for the entire 2016-17 season.

Senior scored on his U's debut in their 5-1 win over Forest Green in August, 2017 and went on to make 145 league and cup appearances for the club before being released in the summer of 2021.

He joined Newport County but suffered another serious injury which kept him sidelined for much of the 2021-22 season and was released by the Exiles in February, 2023.

Senior has since has spells at the likes of AFC Wimbledon and Barnet and currently plays for Rochdale, in the National League.

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KARLEIGH OSBORNE

OSBORNE started his career at Brentford and made 185 league and cup appearances for the club before leaving in 2012.

After joining Millwall, the defender then moved on to Bristol City, from whom he joined the U's on loan in February, 2015.

Osborne made four appearances for Colchester, in the 2014-15 season.

He went on to play for the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Grimsby Town and Braintree Town.

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MARCUS BEAN

AFTER playing for the likes of QPR and Blackpool, midfielder Bean joined Brentford in July, 2008.

He became a firm fans favourite at Griffin Park, making 168 league and cup appearances for the Bees in a four-year spell with the club.

Bean left Brentford to join Colchester in 2012 and was at the JobServe Community Stadium for three years.

He made 73 appearances for the U's, in all competitions and represented Wycombe Wanderers, in the latter years of his career.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

MARTIN ROWLANDS

MIDFIELDER Rowlands became an established figure at Brentford after joining them in August, 1998.

He played 186 games for the Bees over a five-year period, before leaving them to join QPR in 2003.

Rowlands spent nine years at Rangers making more than 200 appearances before them before joining Colchester in February, 2012.

Playing under John Ward, the midfielder played nine games for them in the second half of the 2012-13 season.

Rowlands also played for Leyton Orient and Aldershot, before hanging up his boots.