When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
