When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history 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 get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior 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 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
