When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
