Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
