Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly 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 nearly several years of that experience. Getting 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 huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, 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 his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively 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 career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
