One of Shepparton’s most talented soccer exports has once again shown he is the real deal, with Garang Kuol helping the Central Coast Mariners secure a vital A-League men’s victory on Saturday night in Newcastle.
Taking on local rivals the Newcastle Jets in prime time and on national free-to-air television, Kuol showed no fear as he came off the bench to replace Mariners cult hero Jason Cummings in the 89th minute.
It was almost an instant impact for the former Goulburn Valley Suns youngster, with Kuol positioning himself on the end of a Beni N’Kololo header to strike the ball into the bottom left of the goal, just two minutes after coming on to the field.
The goal was crucial in helping the Mariners secure victory, with the Jets storming back into the contest from 3-0 down to have the score at 3-2 before Kuol sealed the win.
Speaking in the post-game press conference, Mariners coach Nick Montgomery praised Kuol’s late strike.
“A disappointing two goals to concede but after that I thought we could have killed the game off so many times and it took Garang to come on at the end and just kill the game off,” Montgomery said.
“He’s a special talent, came on today and not long after he killed the game off for us, so I’m really pleased with that.”
Saturday’s goal was another display of Kuol’s talent off the bench, with the young star scoring on April 5 in a 5-0 drubbing of Wellington Phoenix.
Kuol was one of five substitutes to come off the bench for the Mariners, and Montgomery was happy with how his young side performed.
“We’re a very young team but I’ve worked with these boys in the NPL (National Premier League) and NYL (National Youth League) for a couple of years and I believe in them fully,” he said.
“I think they’ve shown everyone this year they are not young players, they are A-League players and A-League players for the Mariners, and we’re proud to have them.”
The Mariners sit sixth on the A-League men’s ladder and with three games to go in the regular season they will be hoping to hold on to a finals position.