Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match 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 stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes 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 skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
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 national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
