When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected 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 England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback 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 U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
