When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division 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 myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors 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 was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry 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 England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
