When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
