Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led 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 was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning 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 gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
