Players are left searching for crumbs of comfort on nights like this but James Collins admits that the Ireland dressing-room was glad to see the back of 2020 after last night.
"You can say we’ll be glad to see the back of 2020, the campaign wasn’t what we wanted, or the results, and not getting to the Euros," said the Luton Town striker.
"Hopefully we can come back in March and go again."
Ireland will need to find goals come March, when the World Cup qualifiers are set to begin.
By then, Stephen Kenny will hope to have Aaron Connolly, Callum Robinson, Adam Idah and Troy Parrott playing regularly for their clubs and scoring goals.
But Collins, who could well find himself at the back of the queue again despite coming close to breaking that dreadful 11-hour duck last night, saw enough positives going forward in the second half display to confirm that the goal drought has not become a mental problem.
“Yeah, 100%," he said. "I think the players in this squad won’t shy away from it.
“They are men, they play at the highest level at their clubs. They understand what it means to people.
“We want to win games. We know what we have to do to win games, that’s scoring goals.
“Anyone in this dressing room, myself included, won’t shy away from that.”
Collins was unlucky not to break the deadlock with a well-struck 55th minute volley, while Robbie Brady struck the crossbar soon after.
"We wanted to win the game," said Collins.
"I thought we had the better chances. We needed to step up our quality, break the lines and create chances, stop giving away the ball. We looked like a threat.
"We work hard in training, the finishing drills are good, it seems not to be there in the match.
"I hold my hand up, I missed a couple as well. Robbie has that quality, I thought it was in. It didn’t drop for him
“The feeling is obviously one of disappointment because we haven’t won the game.
“We understand that scoring goals at the minute is important, everyone realises that.
“But I thought there were some positive signs tonight in that we created chances in the second-half especially. I thought we were excellent.
“It’s just finding that little bit of luck to get it in the back of the net. I think once it does go in, however that may be, that will start the goals flying in.
“Robbie‘s shot against the crossbar, my chances, it just needed one to go in."
Having come into camp for the first time under Kenny, Collins wants to be back in the new year for more.
"I feel really sorry for him, it feels like one thing or another," said the 29-year-old.
"The lads are fighting hard for him. We want to win football games.
"I’ll try my best, work hard and get my head down, and hopefully he was impressed with my performances.
"It's been a difficult campaign with the injuries and Covid situation. It happens in life and with the lads that have come in we’ve worked hard.
"Now we go back to our clubs for a few months and hopefully the Covid situation will have died down by March and we’ll have a full squad to pick from then and go ahead".
