When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement 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 first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent 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 the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
