When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
