When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them 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 local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him 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 complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill 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 national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured 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 in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
