Sylvester wants to be the victor but with a bit of style
Sylvester Jasper believes football shouldn’t always be a numbers game.
The Hibs striker is always looking to provide entertainment along with successful results.
He’ll happily see his side advance to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup by beating Motherwell with a scrappy goal today, but it’s not his first choice.
The on-loan Fulham player is always looking to improve his performances by learning from the best in the business.
He said: “My favourite two players are Neymar and Eden Hazard.
“I watch all the games they are involved in and learn from them. But I also just enjoy watching them play.
“Nowadays a lot of critics and players will base everything on stats.
“They won’t watch the game, they will just see this person scored, this person got an assist, but they could have been rubbish in that game.
“I feel like Neymar and Hazard are there to entertain the people that watch them and I think that is a really important thing.
“Personally, I wouldn’t be satisfied if I played rubbish but then got a jammy goal at the end of the game.
“For me it’s important to play good and also affect the squad and the score.”
If it’s a stroke of luck that brings Hibs victory at Easter Road this afternoon, nobody in green and white will complain.
Jasper, 20, however, will look beyond the result.
He went on: “I wouldn’t be totally happy if I played badly but still got the goal that got us into the semi-finals. I would be happy for the team but I would have to go back and look at my performance to see what I could still do better.
“It is good if you can score one or two goals but I feel that your overall performance is almost more important.”
His first taste of top-flight cup football came when he appeared as a substitute for Fulham at Manchester City two years ago.
Although the match ended in a 4-0 defeat for his side, he enjoyed the experience.
He said: “Games like that show you the level their players are at.
“It lets you see what you need to do to get there, so it is good for young players to experience that.
“It gives you a different perspective and means that on a one-to-one you can take it in.
“You get to see players who are in video games.
“The way they move with and without the ball, it’s crazy because you don’t really see it properly on TV.
“It is like going behind the scenes and seeing how they act, how they talk to teammates, what they say. It is nice to see all that.”
Jasper, born in England to a Nigerian father and a Bulgarian mother, has two Under-21 caps with Bulgaria.
He’s on loan at Hibs until the end of the season, with an option for the Edinburgh club to make the deal permanent in the summer.
His future isn’t something he can control but he’s certain a stint in Scottish football is benefiting his career.
He said: “I like the big occasion and I feel I’m well suited to that. It’s preparing me for my career.
“I will have to wait for Hibs and Fulham to decide on my future.
“I just want to play well and put a smile on people’s faces.”