When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
