When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received 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 seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England too,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott 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 play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“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
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, 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 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult 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 being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
