When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession 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 the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day 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 his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle 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 managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
