Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his 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 released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was 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 played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes 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.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’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.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player 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 with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
