When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
