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, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
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 home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
