Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led 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 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played 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 three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility 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 up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
