When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air 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, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, 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.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
