When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half 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 play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match 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,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on 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 went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle 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 U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
