When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
