When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match 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,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year 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 went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
