Garang Kuol gets killer first ever goal in UK since signing for Newcastle United – Great to see | OneFootball

Fair to say Garang Kuol hasn’t had the best experience out on loan since arriving in the UK.

With only one first team start and seven brief sub appearances so far, Newcastle United fans had expected / hoped for more.

By Wednesday, Garang Kuol had only played 198 minutes of football since his January loan move to Hearts.

Indeed, you had to go back to early March for the last time he even got a few minutes on the pitch as a sub.

Late that month had brought some respite and an uplift, via his national side.

Two sub appearances in friendlies for Australia against Ecuador, with Garang Kuol scoring his first ever international goal in a 3-1 win.

Last night, Garang Kuol scored a killer goal that silenced a 48,428 crowd at Ibrox.

Rangers led 2-1 in the fourth minute of added time, late sub Garang Kuol to the rescue.

If you watch below from 4.11 on the match highlights, the Newcastle United loan striker picks the ball up in the middle of the pitch and makes something happen. The goal carries an element of fortune but I like the way he tries something different with the ball into the front man and then deserves the luck that follows, when a Rangers player deflects the ball into his path. A cool fimish as well, with defenders closing in.

That is now 205 minutes of loan football for Hearts, via one start and eight sub appearances.

It is now a winner takes all derby on Saturday at home to Hibs.

The visitors have to win to get fourth place and European football, whilst Hearts have to win or draw.

In such a high pressure game I think it is most unlikely Garang Kuol will start.

However, great to see him get this late morale booster and fingers crossed he gets another opportunity off the bench this weekend to score what would potentially be an even more dramatic goal.

Despite the serious lack of opportunities in this loan spell, Garang Kuol certainly appears to have the right attitude and understands what he needs to do to progress his career, with this loan at Hearts just the first step after leaving home in Australia.

Even if not getting on the pitch, this is all massive valuable experience at his age, Garang Kuol in and around a team / squad competing at a decent level and training every day at a higher level than he is ever experienced before on a regular basis.

Before flying out to join the Australia squad for those two friendlies against Ecuador back in March, the 18 year old striker talked to The Daily Record about the challenges he was facing, competing to get on the pitch for Hearts:

“Everyone you play against is here to fight.

“There’s big boys everywhere.

“However, I feel that game by game, I keep adapting to the level of physicality.

“It’s definitely getting better, my physicality.

“I’m tracking my food, my weight every day.

“I’m just trying to stay focused on doing all that stuff because it does make the difference.

“It’s been good to get that experience in.

“Training with the top players every day, with men – I think that’s the key to developing.

“The most important thing is what happens in training and what happens when I get my opportunity on the pitch.

“That’s where all my attention is going.

“I’m just trying to get as much minutes as possible and that’s up to me, what I do.

“Hopefully, I can get some stats up on the board.”

Australia boss Graham Arnold also commented on the striker’s situation back then in late March.

Graham Arnold:

“Garang Kuol has gone to a league that is a physical competition, the way Scottish football is played.

“It is going to be a learning process for the kid as well.

“For Garang, it’s about hanging in there, working hard and having that strong mentality.

“But this is what a national team camp can do for a young player who is going through a bit of a negative experience at their club.

“Playing for their nation, there’s nothing more proud for him than that.”

Here’s hoping Garang Kuol gets ever more action with Australia, their next game is a glamour friendly against Argentina in Beijing on 15 June.

Plus of course before then, this Saturday’s game against Hibs.

Interesting to see then what follows, whether Newcastle United loan Garang Kuol out at the start of next season and if so, which club / league.

Ibrox, as Newcastle United play a first team friendly there in July.