When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe 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 the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
