When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit 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 Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
