The chairmen of two of the four League Two minnows still alive in the Carabao Cup have told Sportsmail the competition must not be allowed to wither and die under pressure from the elite.
Phil Wallace of Stevenage and Gavin Foxall of Newport County insist the cup is a financial lifeline to many in the third and fourth tiers and a vital to the health of the football pyramid.
'In the lower divisions, you're always fighting against the odds to stay solvent,' said Wallace, whose team are in the third round of the competition for the first time and face Charlton of League One, on Tuesday.