When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age 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 rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
