English Football League Chief Executive Shaun Harvey has called for the success of the Checkatrade Trophy to be judged at the end of the season amid growing criticism of the competition's new format.
The tournament has been revamped this season with the introduction of a group stage while Premier League clubs with Category One academies were also allowed to enter for the first time since the competition's inception in 1983.
But elite capital sides Arsenal and Tottenham both rejected the opportunity to enter a team, along with Manchester United, Manchester United and Liverpool, due to fixture congestion.
Fans of lower league teams have appeared to vote with their feet in regards to the changes as the majority of games have been played in front of paltry crowds across the country.
However, Harvey has asked for criticism of the experimental format to be shelved until the end of the campaign, when the full extent of both benefits and drawbacks can be properly assessed.
"We need to measure the benefits of the competition at the end, not in the middle," he said at the Leaders Sport Business Summit.
"Low crowds are a concern but this was an innovative approach to try and solve a big problem. We will be doing a lot of work to understand what the issue is.
"The reality with the competition is that our fixture schedule is so tight that there’s only certain periods the games can be played in, including the international week.
"Short of manufacturing additional weeks in the calendar there will be a clash," Harvey insisted.
Harvey believes League One and League Two clubs were bold to vote in favour of the change but is adamant the difficulty of implementing the plans has not come as a surprise.
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The competition is set to be reviewed at the end of the campaign and clubs will remain at the forefront of any decision that is made.
"The start of this competition had its challenges, there was confusion about what it’s objectives were.
"It was never about getting 'B' teams in. It was described as the thin edge of the wedge, it was not.
"This was always going to be a challenge. Our clubs were very brave in their decision, they didn’t have to do it.
"They choose to, they felt it might help. The competition was becoming stale.
"It’s a one-year pilot, we’ll review the situation with League One and League Two clubs," he insisted.
