Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October 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 affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
