When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match 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 he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
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 Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
