When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated 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 professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
