When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey 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 Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
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 reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted 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 pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
