When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I really required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth 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 moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”