Jason Knight has faith that Ireland's 'transition period' is building something solid

The Derby man still believes the Republic can fight for a World Cup spot

Republic of Ireland midfielder Jason Knight is not giving up on his World Cup hopes (Trenka Attila/PA)

Jason Knight has insisted the Republic of Ireland’s bid for World Cup qualification is not yet dead in the water despite a calamitous start to the campaign.

Stephen Kenny’s men travelled to Serbia in March with high hopes of launching their quest for a trip to Qatar next year with a positive result, but ultimately returned on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline after an at times encouraging performance.