When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility 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 moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
