Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
