When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
