Jeff Hendrick has vowed the Republic of Ireland will fight until the bitter end to try and reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Stephen Kenny's side are 11 points behind leaders Portugal, nine behind Serbia and four adrift of Luxembourg with just three games to play after Tuesday night's 1-1 with Serbia.
It would require a remarkable turn of events if Ireland are to snatch a play-off place. Kenny's side will travel to Azerbaijan next month and then face a double-header against Portugal and Luxembourg in November but Hendrick and his team-mates have no intention of throwing in the towel.
READ MORE: The tactical switch Manchester United fans want to see against Newcastle
The Newcastle midfielder said: "It's going to be tough now, but we approach it positively.
"If you look at Portugal (2-1 loss last Wednesday), we had a game-plan - I think it worked very well. We were minutes away from a very good result. That result improves our confidence.
"It's a bit late and it's hard to get something out of this group, but like any Irish team, we'll keep going and give it our all."
Ireland were leading at the Estadio Algarve in midweek only to be denied by a late Cristiano Ronaldo double which got the group leaders out of jail.
However, the shoe was on the other foot just three days later when Shane Duffy's 87th-minute equaliser snatched a 1-1 draw, and against Serbia as Nikola Milenkovic's own goal four minutes from time cancelled out Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's first-half opener.
Hendrick said: "We want to win every game. I know it's tough and if you're being realistic, some of the games are going to be very, very hard to win. But we nearly did it against Portugal.
"(On Tuesday night), we put in a good performance and that is something to build on. We should be looking to go to Azerbaijan and playing like that and trying to get a win.
"It's definitely doable and something we should be achieving."
A win in Baku would end Kenny's 16-game wait for a competitive win which dates back to June 2019.
The 49-year-old has made his intention to overhaul the squad he inherited from Mick McCarthy clear.
Seven of the 20 men who tasted action this month were aged 22 or under - and to instil a more progressive approach, and his team remain very much a work in progress.
Hendrick said: "We're not gifted with hundreds of players who are playing in all of the top leagues. We are what we are. We know the squad we have.
"Players come in and out of it, but everyone comes in with a positive attitude and buys into the group, and we all fight for each other."
