When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad 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 for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
