When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
