When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager 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 figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness 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 formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
