When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his 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. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, 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 flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – 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 drive 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 City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
