When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island 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 him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, 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 half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
