When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
