Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option 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 stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
