Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
