Against Western Sydney Wanderers, the Mariners went in as heavy underdogs, but controlled the majority of the contest and took a second-half lead through Milan Djuric, but the Wanderers nicked a late goal through Simon Cox to earn a 1-1 draw.
Fresh from his first A-League start on Friday night, Shepparton's Kuol was back on the substitutes bench for Monday's clash with the return of veteran Central Coast striker Matt Simon, entering the fray on the hour-mark and once again showing glimpses that will terrify defenders moving forward.
Kuol's best chance of scoring came from a corner, rising above the pack to direct a header on target although it was comfortably gobbled up by Wanderers custodian Tristan Prendergast.
He also made an impact at the defensive end, flicking a ball clear from a goal-mouth scramble as the Wanderers pushed for an equaliser.
Although it was yet another match without a win — the Mariners have now gone 14 without victory since a 3-2 win against Melbourne Victory on January 12 — coach Alen Stajcic was thrilled with his ever-improving side.
“I thought it was our best match of the three (since the A-League's resumption), I thought we were much better on the ball than we have been and created a lot of attacking opportunities,” he said.
“I thought we were hard done by to cop that late equaliser, I thought we were on top and looked more threatening and more dangerous there throughout the night.
“To play like that after a two-day turnaround is a phenomenal effort from the group and I'm really proud of the effort they put in.”
Of the club's developing youth products, of which Kuol is a vital part, Stajcic said they were the future of the club as it seeks to address a poor record that has had it finish no higher than eighth on the A-League table since the 2014-15 season.
“I've only been here for one year, the history of the club is what it is and everyone knows it, they're the facts and it's not anyone's opinion,” Stajcic said.
“We've got a lot of things to address, but I've said many times we've done the heavy lifting this year to pick the side back up, to re-establish a good base of youth players that can grow with us and grow with the club and develop in the coming years, and I think we've seen that out on the pitch in the last three games.”
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