When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave 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 turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
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 reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
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 games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
