When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of 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 feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches 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 career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
