When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 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 an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
