Sylvester Jasper: With all due respect, Hibs are a bigger club

Evicted from the FA Cup earlier this season, Sylvester Jasper is intent on making a more lasting impression in the Scottish Cup.

As Hibs prepare to take on Motherwell for a semi-final berth at Fir Park on Sunday, the on-loan forward recognises the potential for success, not just this afternoon but in the Hampden head-to-heads that could follow.

It is a world away from the second round FA Cup tie between his previous loan side Colchester United and higher-ranked Wigan.

“With all due respect, Hibernian are a bigger club than Colchester,” explained the 20 year-old, who joined Shaun Maloney’s squad in January. “The stakes are obviously higher here. It’s a quarter-final that we’re expected to win. In every game we go into, we’re expected to get a good result.

Sylvester Jasper is gunning for a place in the Scottish Cup semi-finals with Hibs.

“There’s a bit more expectation here but I have the mentality that I want to win every game. I don’t care who it’s against. I’m never going to go into a game thinking ‘they’re better than us and we can settle for a draw’. I always want to win. I want to affect the score and play well in every game.

“I know the last time we won it was in 2016, which was quite recent. That was a big thing in Scotland and now we want to win everything. That is a big aim of the group and we are working on it.

“I have seen videos and it was dramatic and it was good to see. It is good to see what kind of club I'm a part of and know that it has won stuff in the past. That history is important and I want to make more history with the club.”

A player with tricks and turns, he is also capable of entertaining. But, it is goals the Leith side needs. Three scoreless draws have been enough to keep their noses in front in the chase for a fourth-place finish in the league but a cutting edge is vital if they intend to progress in the cup competition.

Jasper was knocked out of the FA Cup at the second-round stage while with Colchester.

According to Jasper, there is more to it than that.

“I wouldn’t be totally happy if I played badly but still got the goal that got us into the semi-finals,” he said. “I would be happy for the team and happy to be in the semi-finals but, I would have to go back and look at my performance to see what I could still do better because it is good if you can score one or two goals but I feel that your overall performance is almost more important. You could be giving the ball away, giving up goals, putting your team under pressure so i do think it is about affecting the game.

“My favourite two players are Neymar and [Eden] Hazard. I 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 and I feel 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. It’s important to play good.”

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