When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his 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. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign 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 Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be 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 regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, 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 his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
