Garang Kuol could breath a sigh of relief after “finally” opening his account for Hearts with a last-gasp equaliser against Scottish giants Rangers.
Kuol, who joined Hearts on loan from Newcastle United in January after signing for the Premier League giants from A-Leagues outfit Central Coast Mariners, came off the bench at Ibrox on Wednesday night (Thursday AEST) to score his first Jambos goal and salvage a dramatic 2-2 draw with Rangers.
Hearts, under interim boss Steven Naismith, lost out to Aberdeen in their bid for third place but remain two points ahead of Hibs.
Socceroos teenager Kuol spoke about his 94th-minute leveller, saying: “It was a good moment and hopefully the first of many.” as he spoke positively about the last game of the season.
Looking ahead to the last games of the season, the 18-year-old said: “We’ve beaten them two out of three times this year.
“There have been some convincing wins but the last game of the season, a derby, it’s going to be a tough match.
“The boys are ready, we are focused and we will go out all guns blazing.
“The boys have worked hard. Obviously, tough periods come by. To be in the position we are in now shows the perseverance that the boys have, especially since Naisy has come in.
“He has got us working and to finish fourth, I think the boys can hold their heads high.”
Kuol has struggled for game time since arriving in Edinburgh but still considers his experience in Scottish football beneficial to his development.
“People look at the game time as a negative, and obviously it’s not ideal,” he said.
“At the end of the day, what I’m doing in training every day is what makes me a better player. A lot of people look past that, look at the game time and they make it a whole negative story.
“I’m very happy that I came here, I’ve met some wonderful people, the coaches, and hopefully I can just keep developing.
“It (goal) just shows perseverance and the hard work I did behind the scenes on the training pitch every day.
“I just thought, ‘finally’. Obviously it’s been a tough period and just to get that goal was like a sigh of relief.”
